Camembert arrives in French cinemas as a biting ensemble comedy directed by Matthieu Rumani and Nicolas Slomka, centering on family resentment and class snobbery unleashed during a high-stakes game of Trivial Pursuit.
SensCritique reported that the film draws inspiration from an article about Sciences Po Trivial Pursuit nights where scholarship students memorized cards to avoid humiliation by peers from privileged backgrounds. The project gained early momentum after receiving an enthusiastic reception at Angoulême alongside the Public Prize and best screening honors at the FIFF in Namur.
On paper, the production resembles Le Dîner de cons crossed with Le Goût des autres played out among France Culture fans, using a closed-door setting to skewer intellectual snobbery and class defectors.
The decision to channel family grievances onto game pieces provides modern French salon comedy with an effective weapon through general culture. Guillermo Guiz stars as Stan, who acts as a caretaker at the Muséum d’histoire naturelle and introduces a distinct editorial rhythm based on brief, silent reaction shots. These quiet cuts land in the middle of other characters’ speeches, establishing visible social dominance before a word is uttered.
Kristin Scott Thomas portrays a wealthy, fragile matriarch whose English-accented French functions as an aristocratic title. Guiz retains his natural Belgian diction, creating an immediate contrast in vocal legitimacy based on social rank. The narrative pairs Stan with the grandfather philosopher whose memory is slipping, connecting the outsider who never had the codes with the patriarch losing them.
The widescreen Scope format treats the dining table like a courtroom where every attendee serves as both judge and defendant.
The second act accelerates to balance grand-guignol energy with character truth, though the high tension occasionally dips when the film attempts to distribute moments evenly among guests.
Laurent, the matriarch’s hidden lover, steps in with a monologue during a pause in the game to remind the room that everyone hides personal flaws alongside class animosity. SensCritique said that the production leaves audiences smiling with a polished and precise sense of humor.
