Georges Simenon’s fictional detective Jules Maigret featured in 75 novels and a handful of short stories, and since 1932 has been a mainstay of cinema and television in both France and the United Kingdom. Over the years the character has … Continue reading REVIEW: Maigret (2022)
Luc Besson is a French film director whose personal brand of slick action thrillers – including Subway, La Femme Nikita, and Leon/The Professional – helped define what Raphaël Bassan named the ‘cinéma du look’. It was a perceived stylistic movement shared with the likes … Continue reading REVIEW: Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
One of the more peculiar moments in French history makes for a visually stunning animated feature, even though it struggles somewhat with plot structure and tone. Fans of hand-drawn animation will find Zarafa a delight; family audiences should probably plan for a … Continue reading REVIEW: Zarafa (2012)
Egon (Niels Schneider) is crown prince of the modern-day European kingdom of Letonia. Instead of applying himself to courtly duties, Egon spends much of his time drinking, smoking and loudly playing the drums. When he learns of the fabled kingdom … Continue reading REVIEW: Sleeping Beauty (2016)
Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 film Possession has a notorious reputation and history. It is a French/West German co-production, shot in Berlin, performed in English, and follows the collapse of a marriage between a spy (Sam Neill) and his wife (Isabelle Adjani). It is … Continue reading REVIEW: Possession (1981)
Here’s the pitch: this is the story of Jeanne d’Arc, the 15th century French peasant who claimed to experience religious visions and whose participation in the Hundred Years’ War boosted French morale and helped them win the war. It is … Continue reading REVIEW: Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc (2017)
Chloé (Marine Vacth) is 25-year-old former model living in Paris. She suffers badly from anxiety and depression. She feels constant stomach pain that does not have a physical diagnosis. She is referred to a therapist named Paul (Jérémie Renier), but … Continue reading REVIEW: Double Lover (2017)
Daguerreotype sees the young, unemployed Jean (Tahar Rahim) accept an offer to become an apprentice to the photographer Stephane Megray (Olivier Gourmet). Stephane lives in a decaying Parisian mansion with his daughter Marie (Constance Rousseau). He is obsessed with using 19th … Continue reading REVIEW: Daguerreotype (2016)
Maryline (Adeline D’Hermy) is an aspiring actor who travels from her rural home town to Paris in the hope of forging a successful career. When disaster strikes at her first attempt, she finds herself working in a postal office with … Continue reading REVIEW: Maryline (2017)
The late Satoshi Kon is without exaggeration one of the most talented and significant directors in the history of animation, and thanks to French filmmaker Pascal-Alex Vincent he is now the focus of a feature-length documentary about his life and … Continue reading FANTASIA REVIEW: Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist (2020)
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