The Finishers/De toutes nos forces learning resource

SETTING: SAVOIE, HAUTE-SAVOIE & NICE

The central narrative of The Finishers unfolds against the dramatic landscape of Savoie and Haute-Savoie in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with the story opening and concluding at the IRONMAN France competition in the vibrant coastal city of Nice.

Discover

Find out more about the Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments.

• What is the landscape like (mountains, rivers, towns)?
• What are the main industries or economic activities?
• Are there notable historical or cultural sites?

Find out more about the town of Nice.

• Locate Nice on a map of France. Which region is it in? What geographical features surround it?
• Describe at least three of Nice's distinctive features (architecture, beaches, cultural events, cuisine, etc.).

THE CHALLENGE: IRONMAN FRANCE

The IRONMAN France competition is a central event in the story and highlights the theme of pushing personal limits.

Discover

• Research IRONMAN France.
• What does the competition involve?
• How long is each segment, and what skills or training does it require?

Discuss

• Watch highlights from a previous year’s competition, and discuss the physical and mental challenges the athletes face. Share thoughts about why people choose to participate in this kind of gruelling challenge.

Imagine

• Imagine you are taking part in a challenge like IRONMAN. What are your biggest physical and mental hurdles?

YOUR RESPONSE

Reflect

The Finishers is a moving film. Both the story and the way it is told are designed to create an emotional connection between the characters and viewers.

• What was your response to the end of the film?
• Why do you think you responded this way?
• How would you describe The Finishers to someone who hadn’t seen it?

Discuss as a group

• What is the film’s message?
• Try to come up with a catchphrase or tag line that describes the message and that could be used to market the film.
• Share your ideas with the rest of the class.

The title

• Discuss the respective merits of the film’s English and French titles.
• What aspects of the film does each of the titles emphasise?
• Which do you prefer? Explain.

Review

• Write a short film review designed to give prospective viewers an idea about the film but that doesn’t give away too many secrets.

NARRATIVE ELEMENTS

The opening/prelude

• Describe the opening of The Finishers.
• Why has Nils Tavernier chosen to begin the film in the way he does?
• Do you think it detracts from the drama of the story that we know from the beginning that Julien and Paul are going to make it to IRONMAN France? Explain your answer.
• Notice the use of sound and silence in the first couple of minutes set in Nice.
• Compare this with the triumphant song that accompanies Julien and Paul as they complete the race.

The beginning – one year earlier

The film’s opening in Nice offers an enticing glimpse of what’s to come, but the main story begins with a flashback to a year earlier, as Paul leaves his job in the ski fields.

• Describe the landscape that Paul has been working in.
• What stands out in his return to his family home in the valley? How is this depicted?
• What do we learn about Paul and his relationship to his family?

The problem

All stories have a conflict or a problem that needs to be resolved.

• What do you think the main problem at the centre of this story is? Explain.
• How is this problem resolved?

The ending

We know from the very beginning that Paul and Julien are going to compete in the Ironman challenge but we don’t know if they are going to succeed.

• What are some of the ways the filmmaker builds tension and suspense?
• Describe the way that Paul and Julien are shot after they finish. How does this add to the drama of the scene?
• How do the responses of the other characters further build the sense of excitement and triumph?
• At the end, Paul and Julien both say: “On l’a fait.” (“We have done it.”) What do you think they have achieved and how has it changed them?

Bookending

When a film begins and ends in the same place it is called bookending. Filmmakers often use this technique because it is a great way of making viewers reflect on how much they have learned about the characters and the story between the film’s opening and its conclusion.

• Do you think the decision to begin the film at the very start of the Ironman competition was a good one? How does this affect our experience of the rest of the story?
• When, in the final section of the film, the action returns to Nice, how does what we have learnt about Paul and Julien add to our appreciation of the competition?

FILM LANGUAGE

Cinematography

In a feature film, the camera communicates essential knowledge about the characters, the story and their world. (Refer to ACMI's Film It resource for some background info on camera shots and movement.)

• Watch the trailer as a reminder of some of the film techniques used. In groups or pairs, list the techniques you can identify in the trailer, consider their effect and explain how each of these techniques adds to the story.
• How does the camera communicate the grandeur of the natural landscape where Julien lives?
• Notice the way interior spaces are shot – particularly Julien’s house – and how often the characters are filmed using 'tight' shots (shots where there is little space around them) and how little the camera moves. What is being communicated with this technique?
• What did you notice about how the fireworks scene is shot? What important information about character and story is communicated in this scene and how does the cinematography add to this?

Mise en scène

The term mise en scène refers to everything you can see in a film. It includes décor, setting, lighting, costume, acting, props, colour, make-up and composition (where things are placed and how they relate to each other).

• Choose two contrasting scenes. Identify the different elements of mise en scène and explain what these visual elements communicate about the characters and their world.
• How does the landscape add to our understanding of the transformation that takes place between Paul and Julien as they prepare for the Ironman event?

Sound and music

• When is music used in the film and what is its effect/impact?
• How is sound used to add to our sense of place?

THEMES

• Brainstorm the themes explored in the film – e.g. independence, dreams, freedom, family, belonging, personal growth.
• After you have identified the themes, consider how each of them is explored in the film narrative.
• List key scenes that develop each theme.

No limits

In an interview the actor Jacques Gamblin who plays Paul made the observation: "A quoi ça sert d'être en vie si ce n'est pour découvrir qu'on n'a pas de limite?/ What is the point of being alive if it is not to discover that we have no limits?"

• How does The Finishers communicate this idea? Do you agree that life is all about challenging limits? Discuss this idea as a class.
• Make a list of other inspirational films you have watched.
• Why do you think audiences enjoy films about people overcoming challenges?
• What feelings do these stories create for viewers?
• What might be some problems with believing that anyone can do anything if they just try hard enough?

CHARACTER

The story focuses on Julien’s changing relationship with his father and his mother and how each of these relationships affects his sense of who he is.

• Download the character template to plot the development of each of these characters during the course of the film.