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I wasn’t expecting to be charmed by Christian Petzold’s inventive rethinking of a well-worn World War II movie trope. To all intents and purposes, it is a period drama akin to Casablanca, complete with third-person narration, a mysterious dame and uniformed guards with dogs. However, the backdrop is inexplicably and unapologetically modern day France. Continue reading
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It is the unflinchingly scrutiny of the doleful Sofia’s face that made this film for me. Behind that impassive mask, that became animated only at certain moments, I could see the naivete that had brought Sofia to this untenable point in her life. Continue reading
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This exquisite and heartbreaking film by Christophe Honoré felt like a more whimsical but no less real partner to last year’s BPM. The Anglicised title doesn’t do it justice, and I prefer the original that loosely translates as “pleasure, love and run fast.” Continue reading
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Jacques Tati lives on in this featherlight slapstick farce from duo Fiona Gordon and Dominic Abel. Continue reading
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C’est La Vie! is a wry and heartwarming French comedy about love, napkin twirling and the frustrations you feel when nothing goes quite as planned. Continue reading
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Some films knock you sideways with unexpected brilliance and Maryline, retitled for the Alliance French Film Festival as Bright Weakness, is one of those. Heartfelt, subtle and unexpected, I could not look away from Adeline D’Hermy’s mesmerising performance. Continue reading
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AIDS and activism in the 80s and 90s are inextricably entwined. Grassroots organisations like ACT UP were at the forefront of multifaceted agitation, lobbying, education and shock tactics to reduce the spread of the virus and increase research into treatment. Continue reading
