On again, off again. In love, out of love. Going back to school, starting a new job. Everything is fluid and everything is changing in the whimsical and lustful drama from French director Jacques Audiard. Capturing the residential district of Les Olympiades in beautiful black and white photography, Paris, 13th District intertwines the stories of four individuals through their fleeting romantic and sexual relationships as they simultaneously try to navigate their individual crises. Told in an episodic structure and penned by Audiard, alongside Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) and Léa Mysius (Stars at Noon), the film leans into the sensual, and overwhelming emotions and passions of young adulthood. And by doing so, the French drama intrigues the audience with the youthful recklessness and unsureness of the main characters in its erotic portrait of them.

Émilie (Lucie Zhang) needs a roommate, and Camille (Makita Samba), a tall, handsome stranger, comes knocking. But she wants a girl roommate. Well, you know how these things go. One thing leads to another, and they not only end up as roommates, but they start casually hooking up. And of course, things get complicated. Camille is working on his doctorate and doesn’t seem to have time to commit to Émilie, but Émilie is unhappy with his coldness. Things are complicated, especially when Camille starts sleeping with one of his coworkers.

Nora (Noémie Merlant), in her 30s, is going back to school to get her law degree. A little awkward, hardworking, but undoubtedly a bit lonely, she’s having a hard time fitting in. Attending a party one night, she wears a blonde wig, and while there, she gets mistaken to be a popular webcam girl named Amber Sweet (Jenny Beth), which brings on a load of harassment by the younger students of the university and causes her to drop out. But from this, she decides to find out who this Amber Sweet is. Nora doesn’t want Amber to do anything except talk to her, and from there sprouts an unlikely connection.

I won’t spoil anymore details of the interconnected stories for you, but I will say that they are impressively tight-knit without feeling like the stories are being rushed. And when the stories do overlap, it creates a great bubbling tension to see if it’s all going to fall apart. But out of four (but really three) main characters, Nora’s story is undoubtedly the most interesting, and Merlant continues to impress with another fantastic performance. While all of the characters’ backstories and individual problems are touched on, Nora’s is the most sympathetic, the best-written, and honestly the heart and soul that keeps the film going. She’s trying to restart her life, but for some reason, she just cannot quite seem to make it happen. Her relationship with Amber is quite unorthodox, but you cannot help but be curious where it will lead. As Nora wants to know who Amber really is behind her camgirl persona, so does the audience.

What I really enjoyed about the film, and what I think makes it unique, is that is has what I would call a kind of quiet boldness to it. It starts off with Émilie singing karaoke naked in the living room of an apartment while Camille joins her after a night of hooking up. Then, Amber’s introduction is the only time there is color in the film. And just the whole subject matter that the film is built on is painted with such an unbashful lens in a realistic setting that makes it so interesting to watch. With a great team of writers, and Audiard in the director’s chair, Paris, 13th District, I think, captures the area, the generation, and the rawness of youth in the well-crafted French drama.

And odds are that you didn’t catch this in theaters, but luckily you can snag a Blu-Ray copy with a very pretty 1080p transfer that shows off the black-and-white photography wonderfully, courtesy of RLJ Ebtertainment.

Home Video Distributor: RLJ Entertainment
Available on Blu-ray - August 16, 2022
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Four young people fall in and of love (and sex) with each other while figuring out their lives in Paris. Émilie meets Camille who is attracted to Nora, who crosses paths with Amber. Three girls and a boy – they’re friends, sometimes lovers and often both. From acclaimed director Jacques Audiard, based on stories by Adrian Tomine.

Video

With a nice 1080p transfer and presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the black and white photography of cinematographer Paul Guilhaume is kept pristine in this release.

Audio

Though there isn’t much to show off with a film like this, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio is clean, clear, and mixed well. All the sounds of the bust streets of Paris to the dialogue and music are heard with a crispness.

Supplements:

While short on extras, the commentary is just a plethora of film history talking about everything from Whale to the actors to Pre-Code history and much more. It more than compliments the film well.

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• None

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, language and some drug use.
Runtime: 105 mins
Director: Jacques Audiard
Writer: Céline Sciamma (scenario); Léa Mysius(scenario); Jacques Audiard
Cast: Lucie Zhang; Makita Samba; Noémie Merlant
Genre: Comedy | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "I channel professional frustration into intense sexual activity."
Theatrical Distributor: IFC Films
Official Site:
Release Date: April 15, 2022 (limited)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: August 16, 2022
Synopsis: Four young people fall in and out of love (and sex) with each other while figuring out their lives in Paris. From acclaimed director Jacques Audiard, based on stories by Adrian Tomine.