The Last Hammer Blow

2014 1h 23m FR

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 23

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When he first enters the Montpellier Opera House, Victor knows nothing about music. Nor does he know his father, Samuel Rovinski, who is there to conduct Mahler’s 6th symphony. To change the course of his suddenly uncertain future, for Nadia his mother, for Luna whom he has fallen in love with, Victor has decided to step out of the shadows. He’ll go as far as he needs to.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Romain Paul
Victor
Clotilde Hesme
Nadia
Grégory Gadebois
Samuel Rovinski
Candela Peña
Maria
Farida Rahouadj
Daria
Farid Bendali
Omar
Tristán Ulloa
Fabio
Mireia Vilapuig
Luna

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alix Delaporte
Writers: Alix Delaporte, Alain Le Henry
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alix Delaporte, shot by Claire Mathon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sacha Galperine. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Louise Decelle shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Romain Paul and Clotilde Hesme and Grégory Gadebois carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt3227712 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alix Delaporte directs. Claire Mathon behind the camera. Sacha Galperine scores. Louise Decelle cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 12 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Alix Delaporte, shot by Claire Mathon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Sacha Galperine. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Louise Decelle shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Romain Paul and Clotilde Hesme and Grégory Gadebois carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt3227712 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Claire Mathon
Original score: Sacha Galperine
Editing: Louise Decelle
Production design: Helène Ustaze
Costume design: Dorothée Guiraud
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Last Hammer Blow (2014)

Also by

Alix Delaporte

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

ClaireinFrance2020-06-13
★ 10/10
Absolutely adored this film. From a creative perspective this is a story of humanity that demonstrates "show don't tell". Full of nuance, intense, touching, profound. A 14 year old lives with his dying mother in a caravan near the sea in Montpelier, he has never met his father, he attends school, plays football and admires his neighbour's daughter. His mother is wasting away, she shares nothing of what's going on. Few characters have much to say to each other, we use our imagination to fill in the gaps. Victor turns up at the venue where his father is rehearsing. He is the conductor, authorative, gruff, an impatient man. He allows Victor to observe them rehearse Mahler's 6th symphony - the inspiration for the title - sublime music with it's infamous, metaphoric three hammer blows. There is something deeply piercing of the soul to see a boy regard his unknown father in his domaine. Inhabiting another universe, classical music is like a foreign country to him - and yet - he is his father's son. Something in him clicks, a form of healing, an opening in his world that until this moment was narrowing towards an end. One to re-watch and to listen to Mahler's Sixth Symphony in its entirety, it's inspiration lives on. Claire in France

Production companies