French author Arnaud Desplechin has begun filming his next feature, The Thing That Hurts, a bittersweet comedy starring an international all-star cast including Alfre Woodard, J.K. Simmons, Felicity Jones, Jason Schwartzman, and Noémie Merlant, as well as Golshifteh Farahani, Andre Holland, and Teddy Allen.
The film, which is executive produced by Wes Anderson, will begin filming on Tuesday (April 7) and will be shot on location in Brussels and Paris. Grant Morman’s new sales company, Gravel Lake Entertainment, was involved in the film.
The film, written by Desplechin and Carmen Verkovsky, centers on a group of patients who gather in Paris after the death of a prominent American psychoanalyst. What begins as a gathering to honor his memory develops into an intimate reckoning as unexpected connections emerge, long-buried truths surface, and therapists reveal the deep and lasting impact they each had on their lives. Blending humor and emotional depth, this story explores grief, identity, and the invisible threads that connect people.
The film is produced by Daya Fernandez, Amaury Nolasco and Alois Rubenbauer of 3SIX9 Studios. Charles Gilbert: CG Cinema (“The Chronology of Water”). Carmen Verkovsky and Attila Yusar, Araz Film (“Sentimental Value”). and Benoît Rolland from “Wrong Men.” Funded by Silver Screen Global.
Speaking to Variety about the project last month, Desplechin described The Thing That Heart as a comedy about Parisian expatriates, calling it “a little bit like Midnight in Paris.”
“There are seven stories, like ‘The Seven Samurai’ or ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ And in the middle there’s the queen, the psychoanalyst,” Desplechins said, adding that while Verkovsky brought his love of American comedy to the screenplay, he also contributed to the script by sharing many of the funny psychoanalysis stories he knew.
“The Thing That Hurts” marks Gravel Lake Entertainment’s first acquisition. “The filmmakers at the heart of Gravel Lake’s work are the kind of artists that AI will one day try to replicate, the original voices whose perspectives define what cinema is all about,” Morman said. “Our mission is to find them, protect their vision, and share their work with audiences around the world.”
Desplechin, one of France’s most unique writers, has had most of his works premiered at Cannes, including “My Sex Life… Or How I Got into an Argument,” “A Christmas Story,” and “The Ghost of Ismael.”
