Filmed partly in the Maison de la radio district of Paris, and partly inside the premises of Radio France, Les Passagers de la nuit offers a dive into the world of radio, particularly world-spaced night radio, such as the tributes to these free radio programs that have characterized several generations. Among the most unforgettable personalities of the night radio, we think of Masha Berenger, who with his program “Allo Masha” on France Inter accompanied thousands of “walkers”.

“Macha Béranger, that must come to mind, it really is the most famous sound of the night‘, Mikhail Herz admits to our microphone.There were a lot of programs like this, certificates, free air. Ironically, I haven’t particularly listened to Macha Béranger’s songs, but they come from a lot of places. More than a specific show, it’s an era above all else, these shows are a little different (From those we can hear today).

To tell the truth, it is another radio program from France Inter, somewhat unknown today that mainly inspired the screenwriter and director of Passages de la nuit. Michael Herz believes it was based on “Things of the Night” by Jean-Charles Achereau. “This program lasted a good part of the night and included a sequence titled What’s Your First Name? Anyone can indulge in it in their life by promising to tell the truth. The only thing she can lie about is her first name. And the host didn’t see her, she was in the studio but hiding behind a curtain. There are some excerpts on YouTube, where we find this banter, this music, this tune, this way of talking about the time that inspired me to write the marginalized young man who is Tallulah.. “

And to add:These sounds of the night contained a mystery, they were a bridge between people, an evocative and imperceptible bond… For people of my generation, these sounds were counted and I wanted them to color the film. I like this imagining of someone turning themselves in, with a voice at night we can’t see. These types of programs exist today much less, and already at that time began to lose their relevance. As Vanda said to Elizabeth: Radio no longer has a monopoly on the night. “”

To explain the host of this program, Mikhail Herz called Emmanuel Biart, who, according to him, was the actress ” ideal‘, also for his ‘amazing voice’. I totally imagined him as a character that we feel a little broken, with that crack…” he adds.

A mysterious figure, especially as he disappears very quickly, leaving the viewer slightly dissatisfied, highlighting the mysterious part of this night artist. When asked about this Vanda character, Michael Herz explained that he really “evolved a lot“.”It has always disappeared like this in the script, but it’s true that it’s a scenario that has evolved a lot. In the beginning, it was a character who had a lot more space“.”We learned a lot about his shortcomings and about his personal life, ” continued. “Even if we remove all of that, he still inhabits the movie. He remains a character who also feeds off of his vulnerabilities that we haven’t portrayed. He’s a character that we imagine has a lot of cracks in, life can be a bit complicated.. “

The Passengers of the Night, with Charlotte Gainsburg and Emmanuel Biart, was released in cinemas on Wednesday.

The stadium: Paris, 1980s Her husband Elizabeth has just left and has to take care of the daily lives of her two teens, Matthias and Judith. She finds a job on a nightly radio show, where she meets Talula, an unemployed young girl who takes her under her wing. The warmth of home and Mathias discover the possibility of first love, while Elizabeth invents her own, perhaps for the first time. Everyone love each other, fight … start their lives all over again?