L’empire de la perfection, Julien Faraut, France, 2018, 95’ DCP OV FR, Sub. ES
“In the cinema it is possible to lie, but in sport it is not.” This is the premise of the film L’empire de la perfection (2018) by French director Julien Faraut. The idea came from an interview with Godard: “I continue to watch sport because the human body does not lie. Politics, cinema and literature lie – sport does not.” Faraut turned these words published in the sports publication L’Équipe into the basis of his film. In it, the body that does not lie is that of the tennis player John McEnroe. We will see the best player of the time, 1984, in 16mm. We will see it or, better still, we will examine it.
A documentary set at the final of the 1984 French Open between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl at a time when McEnroe was the world's top-ranked player.