FIVE MUST-SEE MOVIES AT THE 35th FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

As the first week of the 35th Alliance Française French Film Festival’s national rollout draws to a close, the vast landscape of great French film that still lay before us is taking shape. In the mix are retro classics (Les Enfants du Paradis; The Intouchables); family viewing joys (Kina & Yuk; Princes of the Desert); and, sumptuous period dramas (Part of Fools; Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe). Starpower shines, with new films by Johnny Depp, in Maiween’s Jeanne du Barry; Daniel Auteuil and Emmanuelle Devos in A Silence; and La Grande Dame Catherine Deneuve in The President’s Wife.

To focus your movie-choosing even further, here are five films that are particularly high on our French film radar in the weeks ahead…    

LAST SUMMER 
Directed by  CATHERINE BREILLAT
Starring LÉA DRUCKER, SAMUEL KIRCHER, OLIVIER RABOURDIN, CLOTILDE COURAU / 104 mins / MA 15+) Always the boundary-pushing provocateur, filmmaker Catherine Breillat returns with a new taboo-breaking film that examines the relationship between a woman and her teenage stepson. This fearless erotic drama stars Léa Drucker as a well-respected child protection lawyer and a happily married woman. Her world is turned upside down when her husband’s 17-year-old son from a previous marriage moves in with them, stirring attraction and desire as well as the legal and moral barriers it threatens. Breillat’s fearless command of social critique, dark humour and uncomfortable detail has established her as one of the world’s most confronting and essential contemporary filmmakers.

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Directed by THOMAS CAILLEY
Starring ROMAIN DURIS, PAUL KIRCHER, ADÈLE EXARCHOPOULOS, TOM MERCIER / 128 mins / M ) This wild and inventive genre mash-up combines the warmth of a family drama with the disturbing visuals of a Cronenbergian body horror. Romain Duris and Paul Kircher play François and Émile, a father and son living in the not-so-distant-future when the planet is afflicted with a new crisis - people are mutating into animals. Amid the growing mystery, paranoia and fear emerges Émile's tender coming of age story. He discovers what it means to be human and how the next generation will adapt to a world where the forces of nature are changing forever. Filmmaker Thomas Cailley delivers a compelling, rule-breaking and convention-defying film.

TONI

TONI
Directed by NATHAN AMBROSIONI
Starring CAMILLE COTTIN, LÉA LOPEZ, THOMAS GIORIA / 96 MINS / M ) For Antonia 'Toni' Livesi, being the sole parent of five teenagers while earning a living as a bar singer is nearly impossible. Despite a brief taste of fame twenty years ago, Toni's life is very much an ordinary one. At 43, is there still time to try something new? With a winning blend of empathy and humour, Camille Cottin continues to impress with her versatility in the lead role of Toni, in a film that explores the dynamics of parenthood, family, and the delicate art of balancing work and life. Touching sincerity is offset by awkward humour in this tender and good-natured drama, one certain to resonate with audiences of all ages.

 
IRIS AND THE MEN
Directed by CAROLINE VIGNAL
Starring LAURE CALAMY, VINCENT ELBAZ / 104 MINS / M ) After the international success of Antoinette in the Cévennes, writer/director Caroline Vignal and the fabulous Laure Calamy reunite for provocative comedy about reignited desire in the modern age. “They’re not”, says Iris (Calamy) when her chiropractor asks how things are going with her husband (Vincent Elbaz). How long has it been since they last made love? Soon, Iris will be turning 50, and the seed of an idea has been planted - “Take a lover”. So begins this cheeky, joyous and conversation-starting delight, in which the leading lady completes her transformation from quirky character actress into unadulterated comedic star.

MARGUERITE’S THEOREM
Directed by ANNA NOVION
Starring ELLA RUMPF, JEAN-PIERRE DARROUSSIN, CLOTILDE COURAU / 103 MINS / M) Set within the world of elite academia at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, Ella Rumpf is Marguerite, a brilliant young mathematician who refuses to let her status as the lone woman in her class hinder her pursuit of excellence. However, her world crumbles when a new student discovers a flaw in her thesis, plunging Marguerite into the real world, unearthing new insights and gaining a fresh lease on life, in this crowd-pleasing and life-affirming film.

For all session and ticket information, visit the official website of the 35th Alliance Française French Film Festival.