Rendez-vous chez les Malawas (2019)

Léo Poli hosts a show called Encounter at the End of the Ends of the Earth, in which he travels with a celebrity to a remote location to meet a tribe cut off from modern civilization. For the Christmas special, Léo has decided to take four stars: Julien, a fading TV presenter; Sam, a comedian; Nathalie, an animal-show host; and Kévin, a footballer. Self-important, they are all taking part to improve their public image and hope the shoot will last as little time as possible. They board a plane, supposedly without knowing their destination, but Julien tells them before they leave. According to the show’s rules, their phones are taken away before takeoff to make the experience more authentic. Once they arrive in Africa, the crew splits into two groups: Léo, Géronimo (the cameraman) and the stars take a small plane to meet Wokabi, their guide; the production crew travels by truck and will join them a few days later. Wokabi takes them to the village of the Malawas, a peaceful people living deep in the bush. The celebrities have a hard time getting along with the villagers, and are dismayed to learn that they will have to stay for two weeks for the shoot. Sam takes the opportunity to steal Géronimo’s satellite phone—their only means of communicating with the outside world, which is supposed to be used only in an emergency—and call his agent to ask him to find an earlier flight home. A tame monkey comes over to him, and the comedian feeds it a fruit resembling a fig. The next day, Léo tells them that the production crew has been stranded in the middle of the desert by a sandstorm and will not arrive with their luggage for another two days. The stars make the best of it, taking part in the hunt or filming scenes for the show. Léo and Nathalie take a naked mud bath, and one of the village’s domesticated zebras eats Léo’s wig. Not wanting his secret to be discovered, Léo hides in the village. The monkey mistakes the presenter’s genitals for a fruit and bites him. Léo cries out and faints from the pain. The five French people are worried when they can no longer see Léo, but Wokabi reassures them and promises that the tribe will find their companion. That evening, the Malawas hold a ceremony in which they kill a zebra for their guests—the very one that ate the wig, though they do not know it. Sam and Kévin find some hair and a hair clip bearing the name “Léo.” Because of a misunderstanding, the crew thinks the Malawas are cannibals and that they will be next to be eaten. Having used the satellite phone too much, Sam has left the stars unable to reach the production crew, so they decide to set out at night for a village with an airstrip, where they can be evacuated. Géronimo, who has survival skills, leads them safely there, but the village lies beyond a river bordered by cliffs. The cameraman gauges the depth of the water and decides to jump, but hits a rock and plunges straight down. The stars decide to look for another way across and leave him for dead. Meanwhile, Léo has been found by the Malawas, and the tribe sets off to look for the celebrities. When they see the tribe approaching, the stars, still convinced they are cannibals, throw stones at them. The Malawas leave, unable to understand the hostility directed at them. Eventually, the four stars get lost in the desert. Each admits their own failings and hopes to become a better person if they make it out alive. Kévin spots a helicopter, and the stars cross a dune to find the film crew, still stranded. There they reunite with Léo, Wokabi and Géronimo, who is seriously injured and has survived by fighting various savannah animals. A few months later, the show is broadcast live, and the four survivors’ popularity has risen again. Léo announces that they are the French people’s favorite celebrities, with Kévin in first place. Once the commercial break begins, they all start arguing, disputing the poll. When the break ends, the viewers are horrified to see the stars fighting on the set.