Machine: A Series Blending Kung Fu And Labor Struggle On Arte.
Starting Thursday, April 11, Arte will broadcast at 8:55 PM a mini-series titled "Machine," featuring Margot Bancilhon and Joey Starr. Be warned: you may be in for a surprise... This stunning French drama, awarded at the Lille Séries Mania Festival 2024, is a true television UFO!
A mysterious heroine
The eponymous heroine of the series "Machine" is a young woman with a mysterious past, pursued by the secret services of the military for an unknown reason.
This woman on the run tries to stay under the radar by returning to her hometown. An exceptional mechanic, she gets a job at a home appliance factory to make some money.
In this factory, which is facing significant economic difficulties, she meets JP, a Marxist worker, former addict, and loudmouth. As no one knows her real name, JP soon nicknames her “Machine”.
A plot involving labor struggle and big brawls.
While the heroine wanted to keep a low profile by taking a small job at a local factory, she finds herself caught in the flames of a workers' revolt when the factory shuts down. The temp, who is a former special forces member, will use her kung fu skills to save all the striking workers.
Because her colleagues are threatened by the South Korean owners of this washing machine factory, the main character turns into a war machine, shifting from fighting alone to fighting collectively. The mini-series Machine, which does not hide its popular references, offers an explosive mix of workers' struggle and intense brawls.
The heroine, reminiscent of the protagonist from the Kill Bill movies with her yellow jumpsuit, is a sort of Uma Thurman in the land of Karl Marx... She who already knew how to fight will learn social struggle and go to war against capitalism.
This series, a co-production between 687, F.I.T. Production, and White Lion Films, is directed by Fred Grivois. It was filmed in early 2023 in Champagne-Ardenne, between Châlons-en-Champagne, Reims, and Épernay with the support of the Grand Est region and the Grand Reims metropolitan area.
A stellar cast
To carry this very funny social drama, the series Machine can rely on a top-notch cast.
Alongside the main characters played by Margot Bancilhon and Joey Starr, we find familiar faces from French TV series: Michaël Abiteboul (seen in Piste noire and Capitaine Marleau among others), Guillaume Labbé (one of the heroes of the series Je te promets on TF1) and Alysson Paradis.
Should we watch Machine on Arte?
Despite its commendable intentions, this 6-episode miniseries is marred by numerous clichés. The series is quite blunt and sometimes the writing is crude.
However, "This Machine" remains interesting, as it's rare to be offered such a TV oddity in prime time! The writing oscillates between genres and shamelessly engages in abrupt changes of tone.
Despite its flaws, this miniseries succeeds in its gamble. It even won the grand prize at the Séries Mania 2024 festival in Lille!
If the story intrigues you or the summary amuses you, don't hesitate to dive into watching these 6 episodes! You can discover this gem on arte.tv from Thursday, April 11th, just before the episodes air on Arte on Thursdays, April 11th and 18th at 8:55 pm.
