Fresh Bait / L'Appat (1995) directed by Bertrand Tavernier is a film reminiscent of another more recent feature, Deja Mort (1998), by director Olivier Dahan (Tom Thumb). Both films set out to explore the subject of teen alienation and its rather sinister variances which often tend to transform into violence, drug use, sex abuse, etc. While Deja Mort, however, utilized a more extreme and above all graphic approach in scrutinizing the problems which French youth faces nowadays with its meticulous depiction of murder, drug addiction, pornography, etc., Fresh Bait appears a tad more restrained in its visual exploration of the issue. Needless to say both films left a memorable impression in me particularly due to their realistic handling of the subject which in North America is treated with a degree of political correctness that usually negates any message the director might have intended to deliver.

Fresh Bait is a simple film in which we meet three friends living alone in an apartment in the heart or Paris. Nathalie (Marie Gillain), a beautiful self assured young woman which aspires to become a successful model works as a sales assistant in a local boutique. She often flirts with older gentlemen who seem to enjoy Nathalie's frivolous games and occasionally offer to take her out for a dinner and if the circumstances allow a bit more.

Eric (Olivier Sitruk), Nathalie's boyfriend, and Bruno (Bruno Patzulu) are both unemployed and as a result rely on the money which Nathalie manages to bring home. Unfortunately, it is hard to live on a minimum wage and even more so when you have to provide not only for yourself but for your friends as well. The poor living conditions soon become an issue forcing Erik to consider immigrating to the US where he dreams of having his own clothing boutique. His enthusiasm proves rather contagious and soon everyone appears obsessed with the idea. As immigrating is a serious and more importantly expensive enterprise the three friends decide to use Nathalie's sex appeal in order to collect the "needed funds".

The small notebook where Nathalie has been collecting the names and addresses of prominent admirers proves an excellent resource. In it there are the names of lawyers, doctors, businessmen, and people that potentially could have assisted Nathalie with her future modeling career. With the US and the clothing boutique on the horizon Erik, Bruno, and Nathalie decide to collect the "needed funds" as soon as possible extorting some of Nathalie's more prominent admirers. After two of their attempts fail to deliver the needed results and with two dead bodies behind slowly eating their brittle friendship Erik, Bruno, and Nathalie are bound to face the consequences of their criminal deeds.

Fresh Bait is a complex yet subtle character study of three teenagers slowly realizing the consequences of their actions. What begins as a blasé story of friendship soon evolves into a terrifying analysis of a generation trapped somewhere between unemployment, social ostracism, and a form of alienation which feels chillingly familiar.

This is not a perfect film; in fact it has plenty of faults. However, when compared to some of the more talked-about teen productions such as Kids (1995) and Ken Park (2002) for example where vulgarity almost seems to be the building foundation for the premise of these films, it seems like Fresh Bait succeeds in delivering its message by being both entertaining and at the same time painfully realistic. The characters are well built as they are convincing, easy to identify with, and above all free of any intentional glamour a film as Fresh Bait is likely to provide. In addition, none of the major issues Bertrand Tavernier grapples with are faced with resolution, be it a fatal outcome or a happy-ending epilog.

Fresh Bait is a film in search of its own identity. It is difficult to say that this is a one-dimensional assessment of a society that has abandoned its youth. There are too many aspects of the film that dismiss such a categorization. On the other hand the strong critique which the film delivers and the open-ending are certainly factors that Tavernier hopes will spur a debate. No matter what approach one would use to describe the nature of Fresh Bait this is a film that is well worth a look if for nothing else at least for the fact that it successfully reveals that we are all guilty of being abusive, especially when our "dreams" (money, a young girl, immigration) are at stake.

Fresh Bait won the Golden Bear Award (Bertrand Tavernier) at the Berlin Film Festival in 1995 and was nominated with Cesars for Most Promising Actor (Olivier Sitruk) and Most Promising Actress (Marie Gillain).

How Does The DVD Look? As it is the case with so many foreign films being released lately this appears to be a direct PAL to NTSC port of the existing French print. There is some minor "ghosting" evident which is often noticeable especially if by now you have grown weary of it and know how to spot it. On the other hand this is a very strong image presentation preserving the original aspect ratio of the film, 1.85:1, with a steady anamorphic enhancement. Colors are good, contrast well handled, and film grain at a satisfactory level. With this said I would like to point your attention to the rather excessive grain evident on a few of the night scenes and assure you that this is how Tavernier intended them to look. To sum it all up for those with a more tolerable eye this is a perfect opportunity to familiarize yourself with Fresh Bait. For those willing to go the extra mile and avoid the conversion imperfections (ghosting, blurring, etc) I mentioned above you might want to seek out the French R2 disc of L'Appat which is of excellent quality, with optional English subs, and sans the dreaded "ghosting".

How Does the DVD Sound? The original Dolby Digital Surround French track has been provided which appears perfectly fine and without any imperfections that I could find. The DVD offers optional English subtitles.

Extras: There is a short interview with Colo Tavernier O'Hogan, Marie Gilain, Bruno Patzulu, and Olivier Sitruk-

Photo gallery-

Original French Trailer-

Previews for other Koch Lorber Films-

Final Thoughts: A well made film that sheds light on the issue of teen alienation Fresh Bait is well worth a look. The DVD is of good quality if you are willing to dismiss the fact that it is yet another unfortunate PAL to NTSC port. If you are, however, like me and are unwilling to tolerate what I regard as "informed cheating" you would look elsewhere (overseas) particularly given the fact that most of the Tavernier films are readily available with superior transfers.