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Sharks are fascinating animals even when they are lethal. Cinema has known this well for more than fifty years Steven Spielberg he left everyone speechless with a film that would change the summer of cinema forever. It was 1975.
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Last summer the success of killer sharks was refreshed with a new title Under Paris, French film which garnered 102.3 million views on Netflix (record launch for a non-English language film on the platform) whose admirers included none other than Stephen King. The film, with a strong environmentalist component and a clear cry of alarm for the pollution that has infested seas and rivers, ended with an apocalyptic ending that left open the possibility of a sequel, now confirmed. The director, Xavier Gensa veteran of the genre who started out as a screenwriter and then moved on to directing with horror-splatter Frontiers – At the edge of helland who also cut his teeth with some episodes of Lupinthe series with Omar Sy announced that he is working on a second chapter.
‘Under Paris’, the horror film about sharks in the Seine has an exceptional admirer: Stephen King
Chiara Ugolini June 14, 2024
The story (without spoilers) of the first film
The protagonist is Sophia, an environmental scientist, committed to warning against the ecological disaster of oceans invaded by plastic played by Berenice Bejo. During a mission in the Pacific Ocean, after seeing a sperm whale trapped in nets and with a stomach full of plastic, her team of researchers, including her boyfriend, are devoured by the mako shark Lilith which in the space of a few months has gone from two and a half meters to over seven metres. Sophia throws herself into the water but can do nothing to save her colleagues. Three years later Paris is preparing to host the triathlon world championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia discovers from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark swims in the depths of the river. To avoid a massacre in the heart of the city (with the guilt of not having been able to save his team), he will have to join forces with the commander of the Seine police, Adil.
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Paris will be submerged
Those who have seen the film know how things will end, those who haven’t seen it can catch up on Netflix. Meanwhile, what is certain is that in the second chapter the character played by the actress Berenice Béjo will return, capable of going from a jewel like The artisther husband’s Oscar-winning film Michel Hazanaviciuosto Italian arthouse films (Bellocchio, Castellitto, Archibugi, Messina), which will begin filming no earlier than 2025 so it will be some time before we see the sharks in action again. “If there is a sequel it will be set in a Paris submerged in water” the director said when the first chapter was released. Let’s hope it’s still an apocalyptic story by then.
Interviewer: Welcome to our website world-today-news.com. Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Xavier Gens, director of the blockbuster horror film ‘Under Paris’, and Timothy Brown, a shark expert from the Oceanlife Conservatory. Xavier, can you start by telling us how the idea for ‘Under Paris’ came about and what inspired you to include environmental concerns in a horror film?
Xavier Gens: Sure, the initial idea came from my producer Marc Du Pontavice, who saw an article about sharks swimming upstream in rivers and decided it would make for a great movie concept. It wasn’t until later that we decided to incorporate environmental messages into the plot. We wanted to highlight the devastating impact of plastic pollution on marine life.
Timothy Brown: I think it’s a great idea because sharks play such an important role in maintaining balance in our oceans, and their decline due to human activity is a serious issue. By using horror, you can capture people’s attention and make them care about something they might not otherwise consider.
Interviewer: Berenice Bejo gave an exceptional performance as Sophie in ‘Under Paris’. Can you tell us more about her character and how she fits into the overall story?
Xavier Gens: Sophie is a dedicated environmental scientist who has witnessed firsthand the horrors of plastic pollution in our oceans. She feels responsible for not being able to save her colleagues and the shark that killed them. Her character becomes the reluctant hero who teams up with the police commander, played by Tahar Rahim, to save Paris from a potential shark attack.
Timothy Brown: It’s interesting how the movie shows the shark as a symbol of the damage we’re doing to our planet. The mako shark, which played Lilith the shark, is actually a very misunderstood species. They’re mislabeled as aggressive when they’re really quite docile. It’s human activity that makes them dangerous.
Interviewer: We also need to talk about Stephen King’s reaction to the film. He was reportedly one of the first to watch it and became an ‘admirer’ of the movie. How does it feel to have a horror legend like him endorse your work
