It stars – and was directed by – Thomas Ngijol and Fabrice Eboue, two comedians that I like anyway and I have to admit that overall, I found it hilarious. As I watched it though, I couldn’t help asking myself if a film like this could exist in America. The literal answer is it turns out is, maybe. Variety reported a little more than a year ago that production company Other Angle had acquired the international rights and thought the movie had remake potential. And god knows Hollywood isn’t shy about remaking European movies; from Dinner For Schmucks, a remake of Le Diner De Cons to the remake that’s in the works of Norwegian thriller Headhunters. Those are just the ones that come immediately to mind.

The bigger question here is about societal sensibilities. Can you make a funny film about slavery? Will people go see it? Will they laugh? Is it okay if they laugh? The answer to the first three questions in the case of Case Depart, at least in France, was yes. The answer to the  last question all depends on your point of view.

Human trafficking and modern day slavery are issues that I spend a lot time on so I don’t take slavery lightly. But for once, I don’t find an inherent contradiction in my stance on those issues and also being able to enjoy a film whose ultimate message is “don’t take your freedom for granted.”

France has a lot of controversial comedians - Dieudonne and Stephane Guillon both come to mind although they have little in common other than their ability to polarize – and the debate about what is and isn’t appropriate material for comedy is a recurring one. My mother is forever telling me (hi Mom!) that I should do more in English with some of the stories and jokes and other random anecdotes that I find so funny in French. And I’m forever telling her that, in my opinion,  a majority of those things simply wouldn’t fly.

France has it’s share of political correctness but ultimately I think the line about what’s funny and what isn’t can be pushed a lot further in France than it can here in the States. So if this remake of Case Depart ever does happen (and let’s not forget to factor in that remakes are rarely as good as originals), I fully expect it to have a lot of people up in arms clamoring that slavery isn’t fair game for comedy, that Hollywood has some agenda or the other and all of it is part of some bigger conspiracy.

But hey, maybe America will prove me wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.

After reading the synopsis for Case Départ [Back to square one], I echo Tambay A. Obenson’s question in Shadow and Act, “Slavery as comedy?” and also wonder whether this film will ever be screened in the United States. Comedians Fabrice Eboué and Thomas Ngijol wrote the screenplay and star in Case Départ, directed by Lionel Steketee. The film will be released in France on July 6, 2011.

Synopsis: Half-brothers Joël and Régis only have in common the fact that they barely know their father. Joël is unemployed and not particularly clever. For him, France, “a racist country,” is the cause of all his failures and being black is his permanent excuse for not seeking work or even paying his bus ticket. On the other hand, Régis is fully assimilated . . . so much so, that he completely denies that he is half black and he cannot stand references to his origins. According to him, crime and immigration go hand in hand. Called to the bedside of their dying father in the Caribbean [no mention of a specific island], they receive as sole inheritance the manumission document that granted freedom to their slave ancestors, a document that has been handed down from generation to generation. Paying little attention to the symbolic wealth of this document, they tear it up.

A mysterious old aunt, who has been watching them since their arrival in the Caribbean, decides to punish them for their dismissive gesture and sends them back in time, to the midst of slavery. Dropped into 1780, they will be sold in the market as slaves. The two brothers must then join forces, not only to escape the plantation, but also to find a way to return home to the 21st century.

For full review (in French), see http://www.bordeauxactu.com/article8979.html

For articles (in English) and trailers, see http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/archives/slavery_as_comedy_french_farce_case_depart_acquired_for_international_distr/  and http://www.thegrio.com/entertainment/slavery-as-comedy-watch-trailer-for-french-farce-case-depart.php