The Corniche Kennedy coastal road in Marseille, with its impressive panorama, is the visual anchor point of Dominique Cabrera’s sun- drenched feature film. Here, down below all the sumptuous luxury villas, Marco, Mehdi, Franck, Mélissa, Hamza, Mamaa and Julie meet up. They come from the less salubrious parts of town, and their unbridled lust for freedom drives them to perform daring jumps from the steep cliffs. Watching on is Suzanne, brought up in well-heeled surroundings, and she observes the group’s summer ritual in fascination. For her film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Maylis de Kerangal, Cabrera worked with young amateur actors she met while cliff jumping during her research on the Corniche. Only the role of Suzanne is played by a professional actress (Lola Créton).

»The cliff jumps are the heart of the film. These young people, excluded early on from the school system and socially marginalized, are masters at it. Jumping from the Corniche is for them their moment of glory. (…) They know the risk involved, but convincing themselves to do it and triumphing over the fear of dying releases an unbelievably intense shot of adrenaline in them. Why do we do things that are dangerous and difficult? Because life is dangerous and difficult, especially at this age and when you come from this social class. To jump, to risk your life, is a metaphorical way of figuring out what to do with your life. You hurl yourself into the air, just like throwing yourself into your own future.«
– Dominique Cabrera