They stayed up all night talking in Julia's room. She told him about palaces, castles, diamonds, and all the gold she had seen. She told him about what happened after death. Afine listened without saying a word, dazzled by all these things he had never heard of before.

Set in Monaco, the luxurious resort city in southern France, Cent mille milliards(100,000,000,000,000) follows the emotional journey of 18-year-old Afine. The film opens with Afine's immersive conversation with Julia, part of a reality porn show production team, who regales her with tales of palaces, castles, and diamonds. This encounter offers Afine a glimpse into the lifestyle of the wealthy and privileged. As Afine navigates this world, she is joined by Victoria, daughter of a Chinese tycoon building his own kingdom on a vast island, and Mina, Victoria's nanny. Their odyssey of self-awareness traverses from the glamorous exterior of the resort city to the emptiness lurking behind luxury villas, cars, and neon lights, exploring themes of loneliness, melancholy, and nostalgia. Following Mercurials (2014) and Sophia Antipolis (2018), Virgil Vernier's Cent mille milliards(100,000,000,000,000) portrays the post-realist generation's quest for spiritual redemption. With elaborate color mise-en-scène, the film showcases Vernier's unique style. The dreamy, melancholic, and neurotic purple hue serves as a key expressive element, subtly hovering between reality and fantasy, embodying the essence of Vernier's artistic vision.

This film celebrates makeshift families, inspired by my own experiences of Christmas loneliness and temporary communities formed with other outcasts. It tells the story of Afine and Julia, two lost souls who find connection and warmth in Monaco’s opulent yet enigmatic setting. Shot on film, the movie evokes a dreamlike quality, exploring the city’s hidden, almost mythical side.

PETIT FILM

mazarine@petit-film.com​