Raspberry (2021)
| Raspberry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Quentin Cooper |
| Produced by | Kieran Simpson |
| Starring | |
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | Zamastan |
| Language | Caticeze-English |
| Budget | Z$12.5 million |
Raspberry is a 2021 Zamastanian political-drama written and directed by Quentin Cooper, staring Adrien Dupuy, Priscilla Lindra, and Martial Chuquet. The film premiered at the 95th Tofino Film Festival on July 5th, 2021, winning Best Picture. Additionally, Cooper won Best Director, Dupuy and Lindra were both nominated for best actor and actress respectively, and it also won the Best Music award.
Plot
Jacob Serre is the junior campaign manager for Governor of Northern Isle Jean Loup, who is competing against Tregueux Senator Brentley Cook in the Liberal Party presidential primary. Both campaigns are vying for the endorsement of Senator Andre Saunders, who controls 90 delegates; these would clinch the nomination for either candidate. At the Loup campaign's headquarters in Providence, Serre receives a call from Kian Smith, Cook's campaign manager; Smith asks him to meet in secret at a local bar. Serre calls his boss, Loup campaign manager Karson Chase, who does not answer. Serre decides to meet with Smith anyway and Smith offers him a position in Cook's campaign; Serre refuses. When Chase calls back, Serre does not tell him about the meeting.
Serre starts a sexual relationship with Alyvia Cross, an attractive intern whose father is the chairman of the Liberal Party National Committee. Serre admits to an angry Chase that he met with Smith, who said that Cook will offer Saunders the position of Secretary of State in exchange for his endorsement. Chase and Serre discuss the matter with Loup, saying they must make the same offer to Saunders. Loup refuses on principle, as he thoroughly disagrees with Saunders and his policies, and wants a "clean" campaign without such deals.
While Alyvia is sleeping, Serre picks up her phone by mistake and finds that Loup is trying to call her. He discovers that Alyvia and Loup had a brief sexual liaison several weeks previously shortly after Alyvia arrived on the campaign, and Alyvia is now pregnant with Loup's child. Alyvia needs Z$900 for an abortion, but cannot tell her father because her family is Catholic. Serre helps her with the money but warns her not to tell anybody and fires her from the campaign to make the problem go away. Danielle Ryan, a reporter for The Tofino Times, reveals to Serre that an anonymous source leaked his meeting with Smith and that she plans to publish an article unless Serre gives her the details about the Loup campaign's overtures to Saunders.
After dropping Alyvia off at the abortion clinic, Serre goes to Chase for help. Chase reveals that he leaked the meeting to Danielle with Loup's approval as a pretext for firing Serre over his purported disloyalty. An angry and desperate Serre offers his services to Smith, who says he met with Serre only to influence his opponent's operation, under the likelihood that Serre either would come to work for him or would be fired for taking the meeting. Serre offers to sell out Loup but Smith declines, believing Saunders' endorsement of Cook is assured. Serre berates Smith for using him, for which Smith halfheartedly apologizes, and advises him to quit politics before he becomes a cynic like Smith.
Having been told that Serre had threatened to take down the campaign, Alyvia fatally overdoses on pills in a hotel room. Serre comes across the scene and steals her phone. Unbeknownst to the Loup campaign, he meets with Saunders to set the conditions for his endorsement and his delegates. Serre confronts Loup and gives him an ultimatum: Either give him Chase's job and offer Saunders his post, or Serre will go to the press with Alyvia's purported suicide note and expose the affair, all but assuring Loup's reputation tarnished and Cook getting Saunders' endorsement. Loup relents, giving up what is left of his personal integrity, and meets Serre's demands. Chase takes his firing philosophically and is amicable when he chats with Serre at Alyvia's funeral.
Saunders officially endorses Loup, making him the de facto Liberal party nominee. Promoted to senior campaign manager, Serre is on the way to a remote TV interview with Oliver Morris when Danielle Ryan ambushes him and says her next story will be about how Serre delivered Saunders and his delegates and got his promotion. He reacts by having security bar Ryan from entering the auditorium. Serre takes his seat for the interview, just as Loup finishes a speech about how integrity and dignity matter. Morris then asks Serre for insight as to how the events surrounding the primary unfolded.
Cast
- Adrien Dupuy as Jacob Serre, Loup's junior campaign manager.
- Priscilla Lindra as Alyvia Cross, an intern for Loup's campaign and Serre's love interest.
- Martial Chuquet as Jean Loup, Governor of Northern Isle and Liberal Party candidate.
- Brian Avila as Kian Smith, Cook's campaign manager.
- Reuben Hayes as Karson Chase, Loup's campaign manager.
- Phil Allemand as Andre Saunders, Liberal Party senator from Pahl.
- Marianna Ayala as Danielle Ryan, a reporter from the Tofino Times.
- Blaise Alarie as Brentley Cook, a Senator from Tregueux and Loup's main opponent.
