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In order to escape the global hysteria and anticipation surrounding the passing of the second millennium, a group of friends, led by Francois, escape the celebrations and exile themselves on an island off Ajacci, the Sanguinaires. The temptations to cheat on the rules that they have set to cut themselves off from the world are numerous. Even so. the group manages to do well in their little adventure.
Only Francois cannot find his place in the escapade that he himself desired and organised. No matter how strong his will, after excluding himself Irom the world, he eventually distances himself from his closest friends and ultimately Catherine, his lover. Little by little, Francois comes to believe that this gorgeous and tranquil island, and Stephane, the young man that greets them there, are associated with the same mystery which alienates him and forces him into the ultimate retreat. At the stroke ot midnight, Francois disappears.
With The Sanguinaires, director Laurent Cantet was interested in substituting a worldwide, trans-media event with a very personal, intimate one. "This character is a little like me," explains Cantet. "In general, all celebrations bother me.'' Escaping to a remote island is the last hope for Francois. There's a huge force of will on his part and then, soon after, the fear of having made a terribly bad choice. His exile—geographically, emotionally, mentally and finally physically—is taken to an extreme at each point.
Mysticism and ritual enter the film inexorably, creeping up on the viewer and assuming a foreground presence almost surprisingly. Francois' disappearance is left intentionally ambiguous—as with similar events in an approximate Australian cinematic parallel, Picnic at Hanging Rock—to challenge audience to speculate as to motives and explanations. A deeply satisfying and haunting film.