Les lutteurs immobiles

The consumer society is dead. Welcome to the preservation society! As of their first school year, children are taught to love objects, which most of them do. But not all citizens. To remedy the problem, The security forces crack down on vandals, bands of protesters and other iconoclasts. And for greater efficiency the States uses the services of Kief, a mad scientist who operates on prisoners so as to pair them with totem-objects. Which is why Judith gets wrinkles when her clothes are creased. Which is why the skin of librarian Mikoski gets pierced with holes whenever rats gnaw at his books.

Directed by André Farwagi, Les lutteurs immobiles leans on a strong ensemble — Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Marie Rivière, Fernand Guiot — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about science fiction titles of 1988.