French

Synopsis:
‘In February 1945, Jean Diego is tasked with breaking the news to the wife of a friend of his, Pierre, that her husband has been executed by the Nazis. It turns out that he is mistaken – his friend is still very much alive. After a happy reunion, Jean goes on his way and has a bizarre encounter with a weird old tramp on the Paris metro.The bedraggled stranger claims he can foresee the future and prophecies that Diego is about to encounter the most beautiful girl in the world.Read More »

Quote:
Composed entirely of still photographs shot by Marker himself over the course of his restless travel through twenty-six countries, If I Had Four Dromedaries stages a probing, at times agitated, search for the meanings of the photographic image.Read More »

Synopsis:
‘A little beggar tries in vain to get an alms in a big city where everything is organised, efficient and lucrative. His barrel organ’s tune always ends with an impressive false note, upsetting the townspeople. Eventually the little beggar will receive a dream fulfilling gift.’
– Raoul Servais FoundationRead More »

Reprise is a three-hour documentary about a legendary and anonymous short film, The Resumption of Work at the Wonder Mills, shot in 1968 by two film students in front of the Wonder factory in Saint-Ouen: as employees return to work a woman appears in the crowd, rebels and refuses to return to the factory. This mysterious rebel is the pretext and the subject of this film. Le Roux investigates this pasionaria. He tries to find her by meeting former workers, activists and trade unionists. The opportunity for the filmmaker to unfold a piece of history buried, to give voice to workers who had never been able to tell their experience, explain their working conditions, express their nostalgia mixed with suffering.Read More »

Quote:
LE CHANTIER DES GOSSES

THE CHILDREN’S BUILDING SITE

JEAN HARLEZ, 1956-1970, BE, 35MM, OV FR ST ANG & NL, 83′

The narrow streets of the Marolles are full with kids. Their paradise is a wasteland. One day, the wasteland is barricaded, disembowelling by machines, while the surrounding houses are pulled down. The amazement of the kids soon turns into revolt: they choose a leader, manufacture catapults with the shoulder straps of their parents and decide to start a war to the entrepreneurs and architects…
“Le chantier des gosses” takes us on a journey into their little world. The kids (the youngest is 2 years and a half, the oldest 14) are the main actors, playing their role with a lot of spontaneity and a great deal of improvisation!Read More »

Thomas and Alfred were born around the same time; a fire in the nursery had nurses scrambling to save the newborns. Because he felt that he deserved Alfred’s good fortune at being born into a wealthy family, Thomas conceives the idea that he and Alfred were switched at birth, and he can’t help seeing that his unhappiness should be Alfred’s, from the loss of his sister to his inability to have a relationship with the woman Evelyne. So, as his life is ending, he formulates a plan of revenge against his bitter enemy, his lifetime adversary, the man who stole his existence.Read More »

Mathieu Amalric’s directing debut is a comedy-drama about a not quite functional family…Read More »

Synopsis
The story concerns a couple of ex-servicemen who engineer a robbery, only to run afoul of professional criminals.

Dick et Tony, parachutistes rapatriés d’Indochine ont accepté de rendre un petit service au Maltais. Pour une commission de deux millions de francs, ils ont fait transiter 25 millions, mais au moment de rendre l’argent, le Maltais n’est pas là. Ils investissent alors cet argent dans une boîte de nuit.
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Quote:
This French drama explores the desolation felt by a young girl whose divorced concert pianist mother and businessman father are too self-absorbed to give her any attention. Louise (Sophie Rochut) stoically attempts to carry on, despite the disregard of those around her. Her stoicism is shattered by a few moments of incidental friendliness from a journalist. She runs away to find him, despite not even knowing his name or address. She returns home, unsuccessful, and throws herself in the river. This suicide attempt momentarily brings mother and daughter together, but we are left with little hope that things will really be better in the long run. Writer/director Michele Rosier tells this sad story with a minimum of melodramatics, which makes it even more effective.Read More »