Heat Wave

A shimmering afternoon in the south of France. The heat hangs heavy over the streets, conversations slow down, glances linger. Between the terrace table and the supermarket, between unspoken frustration and pent-up fatigue, the quiet catastrophes of everyday life unfold. Four people whose paths cross in a casual way: a pensioner who has withdrawn from life, two teenagers full of disorientation, a woman for whom the world has long since become too small. Their individual stories interweave in an atmosphere that is almost still—until everything tips over. What begins harmlessly ends in sudden, inevitable tragedy. HEAT WAVE is the feature film debut of French director Jean-Jacques Jauffret and premiered in 2011 at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, originally known as APRÈS LE SUD, is loosely based on a real criminal case and has been widely acclaimed for its calm, suspenseful staging. It has been shown at the Calgary International Film Festival, the Warsaw Film Festival, the Francophone Film Festival de Namur, the Leeds Film Festival, the Exground Film Festival, the Festival du Film Français de Sofia, the Sao Paulo International Film Festival, and other international events. With a minimalist style and focused camera work, Jauffret succeeds in creating an intense psychological portrait of everyday overload.