Favorites of the Moon

"It is impossible to recount this film because of all the parallel stories that get out of hand, but it is about bartering things, the carousel of love affairs, the exchange of feelings. In Paris's 13th arrondissement, which on the surface appears so straightforward, Iosseliani depicts the hectic activity of those subjected to the laws of exchange and delivers a hilarious comedy. His 40 odd protagonists do not have names but they are clearly characterized in their behavior, forming a microcosm of society. The fact that the thieves survive is not surprising in a world that lives from theft without wanting to acknowledge it. Whereas the citizens are driven out and their being together is shown in fast motion only as a seemingly nonsensical abstract movement, the thieves are hedonists having the time of their life." (Eva Hohenberger)