Les Dissociés is one of my favorite movies. Full stop. It's up in my top five with the likes of Hot Fuzz and Spiderverse. It's definitely not a perfect movie--it's probably more like a Hollywood 6.5/10--but boy, I don't care, it has heart and ambition enough to fully make up for that.
It's got concepts: This is a body swap movie. Tired of movies where two people swap once, learn to get along, and then switch back at the end? This has at least 30 swaps, not including all the referenced swaps, backstories, possessions, and soul splits and fusions. Les Dissociés imagines a world where body swapping is possible and then shows off ALL the derivatives, reasonings, and intentions therein. Unfortunately, with a runtime of 75 minutes, it only touches on a lot of the many ideas and leaves you wanting more, but I'm so excited and appreciative that they chose to go big instead of playing it safe with a simple Freaky Friday.
It's got quality: Let me remind you that this is a YouTube video. Not a platform-produced YouTube Original. Just a free-to-all video. Think of the expectations you have for a YouTube video. They didn't have to try so hard for us. And yet they did. Six months of work, astoundingly effective acting, a full crew, a full score, special effects--all on an indie budget and product placement! A little went a long long way, and it takes skill to do that.
It's got heart: Three guys with a little experience, a lot of chutzpah, and a couple friends wanted to try making a movie and then they DID. They just did this! Indie projects are always impressive because making a feature film is no small feat, but I was so blown away by how genuinely GOOD it ended up being. It's an engaging homebrewed adventure, an inspiring passion project, and a cozy understated gem just waiting patiently to be discovered.
Gosh, I love this movie. It's got a layered story with rich lore, actors that know how to act off of each other fantastically, and a polished screen presence that's lovely to look at and listen to. It's still evident that it's a 2015 YouTube indie that could've used another revision and a tighter focus, but considering the price of admission, the company in its weight class, and the sheer ambition behind it, I can more than forgive it. It sure is something special.
