Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Paris, 13th District’ on Hulu, A Love Story Depicting the City of Light in a New Light

When you think of the City of Light, it’s probably far more romantic than the version conjured by Jacques Audiard in Paris, 13th District, now streaming on Hulu. Even in its beautiful black-and-white cinematography, this version of Paris is one far removed from the cultural center of the city — but not necessarily out in the banlieus, either. In a landscape of brutalist architecture within the Les Olympiades neighborhood, Audiard finds a story as contemporary as the surroundings: that of young lovers trying to connect in an increasingly fragmented world.

PARIS, 13TH DISTRICT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Émilie (Lucie Zhang) works at a Parisian call center by day to help support herself and her ailing grandmother. To ease her financial burden, she takes on a roommate in Camille (Makita Samba), a postgraduate teaching student who dabbles in real estate to help cover his costs. There, he meets law student Nora (Noémié Merlant), who’s dealing with humiliation among her classmates when she’s mistaken for the famous camgirl Amber Sweet (Jehnny Beth). These four become hopelessly intertwined in ways they cannot imagine as they just try to get by — and get their rocks off — in modern Paris.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Think of something like a St. Elmo’s Fire or an About Last Night — tales of young professionals trying to figure out life and love — only much more indie-fied.

Performance Worth Watching: Noémié Merlant, known to some Francophilic folks for her role in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, is the real scene-stealer of the film. Her character Nora gets a journey that’s equal parts psychological and physical as she explores how much of herself she wants to give away online.

Memorable Dialogue: This is not a film for poetic language or grand statements about love. It’s about how frankly, and often unromantically, people discuss sex today. To give a sample, two roommates hash out a living agreement and lay it out as starkly as: “We share cleaning, food, and stop walking around naked.”

Sex and Skin: When a movie starts with a character being topless, you know there’s a lot of sensual stuff ahead. Paris, 13th District features multiple positions and flavors of sexual expression, from camgirls to sexting to countless varieties of IRL intercourse. They’re all deeply interwoven with the plot and character development too, in keeping with how sexuality is front and center both in their lives and in society for thirtysomethings.

Our Take: You’d never know Jacques Audiard, the hard-edged director behind the prison drama classic A Prophet, was approaching 70 when he made Paris, 13th District. This adaptation of the work of cartoonist Adrian Tomine bristles with youthful energy in a way that avoids any trace of “how do you do, fellow kids?” vibes. The film captures with immediacy and intimacy the modern landscape of love in a way that’s both of its moment and ties back to something timeless. Even if the film does spin its wheels at times, anyone should appreciate how much care it takes in recreating a world where connection is more available than ever — and thus all the harder to sustain.

Our Call: STREAM IT! Paris, 13th District is a vision of the City of Light that feels different enough to warrant our attention. These interwoven stories carry wider resonance that extends well beyond a Francophone audience, too, with their stark sexual attitudes and poignant romantic heartbeat.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, Little White Lies and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.