“Félix Maritaud brings intense commitment and emotional depth to his role as Léo

“Félix Maritaud brings intense commitment and emotional depth to his role as Léo, a 22-year-old, gay street hustler, in Sauvage that it is impossible to imagine Camille Vidal-Naquet’s pulsating character portrait existing without his crucial contributions. Like Julianne Moore in this year’s Gloria Bell, Maritaud appears in every scene and nearly every shot of the film that pivots on his performance, requiring him to the set the piece’s tone and temperature for its entirety. This would be a daunting challenge for any actor, much less a young actor in his first starring role. But Maritaud never breaks a sweat, except when Léo is gyrating with lusty abandon on the dance floor. His performance is a lived-in tour de force marked by a sprightly presence and subtle craftsmanship that embeds us within the character’s arc, never calling attention to its inner workings. Maritaud fully examines and openly expresses every part of Léo—his ardent pining for a fellow hustler, his brooding fury over on-the-job humiliations, and his embarrassed longing for succor and solace. This last desire manifests in a mid-film visit to a clinic as Léo suddenly embraces the female doctor who has shown him such candid and concerned kindness, a gesture of intimacy so overwhelming that those who have seen Sauvage will never forget the way Maritaud’s eyes shut and body slackens, relieved at finding unexpected refuge in the arms of a stranger.” — Matthew EngThe 12 Best Male Film Performances of Early 2019(Source: TribecaFilm.com) -- source link

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