Synopsis

When Chloes beloved cat disappears while she is away, the young Parisian makeup artist begins searching the Bastille neighborhood for her pet. The hunt draws her into contact with an assortment of neighbors, revealing a lively community caught between longtime residents and rapid modernization. Along the way, Chloes solitary routine gradually gives way to new connections.

Factoids & Trivia

• The films original French title is "Chacun cherche son chat," which translates roughly as "Everyone Is Looking for His or Her Cat."

• The story grew from a real incident involving a friend who worked in design and entrusted her cat to Renée Le Calm, the older woman who inspired the films cat-sitter character.

• Many of the older women seen in the neighborhood scenes were local nonprofessional performers. The production used real residents to give the community a more natural, lived-in quality.

• The project was initially conceived as a short film about Paris and a missing cat. As more characters and details developed, it was expanded into a feature.

• Much of the film was shot around the Bastille district during a period of redevelopment. Its background contrasts traditional shops, longtime residents, artists and newcomers moving into the changing neighborhood.

• The film received the FIPRESCI Prize in the Panorama section at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival.

• The production reportedly completed its main shooting in about four weeks, following a short but intensive preproduction period.