French

May 68 events seen through various 16 & 35mm shots, anonymous images made by young protesters who were filming during the night.Read More »

In this comedy drama, two lovers go on vacation to the fellow’s summer home in southern France. Once there, the woman becomes quite jealous because she knows that many women have been at this house with him. She herself is not as experienced as he and secretly dreams of having many different lovers. Time passes and things become increasingly tense between them and they begin verbally attacking each other. Finally they make peace and love.Read More »

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A little-known French romantic drama from the early ’90s that seems to have achieved a little notoriety for a couple of explicit, seemingly unsimulated sex scenes. Here’s the review I wrote for the film on imdb (still the only one there!) when I was a teenager:

When I found this film on an old VHS at the university film library, I didn’t know what to expect. I had never heard of the director, never heard of any of the actors, indeed, never heard of the film.Read More »

Synopsis:
In this satiric comedy/drama from Georgian director Otar Iosseliani, a group of censors gather to pass judgement on a new film. However, the reels are shown out of order, so they find the story jumps from one time period to another as the moral guardians are treated to a parade of sex, violence, and bitterly ironic humor. A group of modern-day snipers perched on a rooftop open fire on unknowing passers-by down below. The ruler of an ancient kingdom journeys to lead his troops into battle after putting his wife in a chastity belt — not knowing she has a key and revenge on her mind. Arms dealers in Paris eat, drink, and are merry as they enjoy the spoils of their deadly trade. And a Soviet policemen in the Communist era decides to show his son what he does for a living, treating him to a day of watching father beat and torture innocent people.
— allmovie guide.Read More »

Summer in Corsica. In a Corsican village nestled in the mountains everyone experiences summer in his or her own way: children play, teenagers flirt, and the elders comment on the passage of time at their local bar. In the August heat, it doesn’t take long for tensions to rise as one family struggles to keep grudges from bubbling to the surface. Sometimes a spark is all that is needed to set the maquis alight.Read More »

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A single mother, Julie gets her children ready and drops them off at their nanny’s as the first step in her hectic daily routine in Paris. Between household chores, and her job as a housekeeper in a luxury hotel, she receives an offer to interview for a position as marketing manager.Read More »

Synopsis:
After the execution of Louis Mandrin, famous outlaw and popular hero of the mid-eighteenth century, his companions risk the adventure of a new campaign of smuggling in the provinces of France. Under the protection of their weapons, smugglers organize unauthorized markets, near the villages, where they sell tobacco, fabrics and precious goods. They write songs in honor of Mandrin, print them and distribute them to the kingdom’s farmers…Read More »

Actress Isild Le Besco (Girls Can’t Swim) makes her feature debut as a director with Demi-Tarif (Half-Price). The movie, shot on digital video on a miniscule budget, garnered attention in its native France after renowned filmmaker Chris Marker compared the experience of seeing it to the experience he and his friends had upon seeing Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless for the first time. Demi-Tarif follows the low-key adventures of three young siblings, Romeo (Kolia Litscher), Launa (Lila Salet), and the youngest, Leo (Cindy David), left on their own in a rundown Paris apartment. One of them narrates, wistfully explaining how their mother abandoned them and calls them once in a while to see how they are doing or tell them she loves them. The three kids do as they please, roaming the streets, running out of restaurants without paying for food, and shoplifting from the local grocery store. They eat whatever and whenever they want, gorging themselves on sweets. They beg for change on the Metro and show up late for school in tattered, dirty clothes. All the while, they try to keep the fact that they are alone a secret from the world of adults. Demi-Tarif had its U.S. premiere at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival.Read More »

Synopsis:
Arsène Baudu and Hyacinthe, a pair of small-time crooks, fall prey to Alexandre Larsan-Bellac, who involves them (against their will) in high profile swindling. But their success is quite limited. For starters they are deceived by Mrs. Paterson, a charming widow. Later on, Ribeiro, a Portuguese contractor and former victim of the two crooks, traces them and forces them to work on one of his building sites as damages. Just then, Larsan-Bellac resurfaces with plans to lure Ribeiro once again…Read More »