French Flick

The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq is a French comedy-drama that came out in 2014 and stars the author/filmmaker Michel Houellebecq as himself. The movie premiered at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival and details the fictitious story of Houellebecq getting kidnapped and held for ransom during one of his promotional tours. The inspiration for the film came when Houellebecq was promoting his real-life book, The Map and the Territory and didn’t appear in public for a long time. That led French newspapers to falsely speculate that he had been kidnapped. In the movie, Houellebecq is held for ransom by three thugs determined to have an intellectual debate about history and literature. The funny yet serious nature of kidnapping makes the flick an intriguing blend of comedy and drama. It screens tonight at 7 at the Cleveland Museum of Art and again on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $9. (Manno)