French Cinema Now

French Cinema Now: an early look at two Big Movies

by
CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA
CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA

One of the absolute gems in the Bay Area’s cinema scene is the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series.  Every year at French Cinema Now, SFFS presents the best and most interesting movies contemporary French movies.

This year’s offerings include early looks at two Big Movies – as in potential Oscar bait or, at least, art house hits.

  • Two Days, One Night: The latest urgent drama from the Dardennes brothers (The Kid with a Bike, The Son). Their movies always make my annual top ten list – and this one features Marion Cotillard.
  • Clouds of Sils Maria: Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart in an All About Eve-type rivalry, directed by Olivier Assayas (Carlos).  Stewart has gotten great reviews.

Other tempting treats include:

  • Paris Follies: the always compelling actors Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Pierre Darroussin as old marrieds.
  • Love Is the Perfect Crime: a great cast (Mathieu Amalric, Karen Viard, Maïwenn, Sara Forestier) in a sly story of crime and sex.

French Cinema Now is coming up this weekend on November 6-9 at San Francisco’s Vogue Theater:     French Cinema Now tickets and schedule.

Stranger by the Lake: an effective thriller with LOTS of explicit gay sex

by

Writer-director Alain Giraudie uses the milieu of gay cruising to set his thriller, Stranger by the Lake (L’inconnu du lac), launched with great notoriety at Cannes. A young man frequents a secluded beach to hook up with other gays. He spots a dreamy newcomer, but he just can’t seem to meet the new guy. After a few frustrating days, he witnesses a murder by drowning – and the murderer is the guy that he’s hot for. The next day, the murderer comes on to him and our hero can’t resist…until his new boy toy suggests that they go for a swim.

Stranger by the Lake is notorious because of lots of genitals-in-your-face male nudity and LOTS of explicit gay sex acts. At least some of the sex is actual (not just simulated) sex. I saw Stranger by the Lake in an audience that must have been 80% gay male, and there were lots of knowing chuckles at the cruising behaviors (along with gasps at an episode of decidedly unsafe sex).

Stranger by the Lake does work as a thriller, and a limited US release is underway; in the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s currently playing in just two theaters – the Clay and the Shattuck.  It is unrated, but would certainly qualify for a NC-17.

French Cinema Now

by
RENDEZ-VOUS IN KIRUNA

I spent last weekend at the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series, which features current French language movies that have not been theatrically released in the US (and may not be).   I’ve written complete posts on five of the eight movies that I saw. Here’s my summary (in order of my subjective ranking).

My favorite was the road trip to redemption, Rendez-vous in Kiruna.  A French curmudgeon takes an obligatory drive to northern Sweden, setting up some very funny moments as the film explores the oft unhappy relationships of fathers and sons.

In the drama Suzanne, a young woman makes some bad choices, and the consequences are shared by her father and sister.  Very well written and acted, Suzanne may be released in the US in mid-December.

Launched with great notoriety at Cannes, Stranger by the Lake (L’inconnu du lac) is a thriller set in a secluded gay cruising spot.  There is LOTS of explicit gay sex in this movie, and at least some of it is actual (not just simulated) sex.  It does work as a thriller, and it will get an NC-17 release in the US in late January 2014.

I liked Miss and the Doctors (Tirez la langue, mademoiselle), the kind of light romance that the French do so well and that Hollywood would turn into a series of sitcom moments.  Two pediatrician bachelor brothers fall for the single mom of a young patient – and then her ex returns to the scene to create a love quadrangle.  Miss and the Doctors is sweet and funny, and I think it would be popular with US art house audiences.  (The original French title translates as “Stick Out Your Tongue, Miss”.)

House of Radio (La Maison de la Radio), a wonderfully appealing observational documentary that takes us behind-the-scenes for a peek at the operations of Radio France.

Written and directed by its star, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, A Castle in Italy (Un château en Italie) tells three dark story threads but in a very funny, even screwball, movie.  It had me until the sentimental and almost pretentious ending.  Not bad overall.

Bastards (Les Salauds) is Claire Denis’ dark revenge tale – well made but gratuitously disturbing – and even too disturbing for me to recommend.

My pick for the worst movie in the series was a French language film from Canada, Vic + Flo Saw a Bear (Vic + Flo ont vu un ours).  A 61-year-old lesbian is released from prison and reunites with her fortyish lover/crime partner to go straight.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to commend this film except for a bad ass female villain.  The story was pointlessly dark, and the audience did not respond well.  Afterwards, I was standing in line in front of a Frenchwoman who ranted, “Stoopeed Canadians – what do zay know about making films…I am just so glad that Jean didn’t show up – he would have puked.”  I actually like Canadian films, but this one sucked.

Stranger by the Lake: an effective thriller with LOTS of explicit gay sex

by

Writer-director Alain Giraudie uses the milieu of gay cruising to set his thriller, Stranger by the Lake (L’inconnu du lac), launched with great notoriety at Cannes.  A young man frequents a secluded beach to hook up with other gays.  He spots a dreamy newcomer, but he just can’t seem to meet the new guy.  After a few frustrating days, he witnesses a murder by drowning – and the murderer is the guy that he’s hot for. The next day, the murderer comes on to him and our hero can’t resist…until his new boy toy suggests that they go for a swim.

Stranger by the Lake is notorious because of lots of genitals-in-your-face male nudity and LOTS of explicit gay sex acts.  At least some of the sex is actual (not just simulated) sex.  I saw Stranger by the Lake in an audience that must have been 80% gay male, and there were lots of knowing chuckles at the cruising behaviors (along with gasps at an episode of decidedly unsafe sex).

Stranger by the Lake does work as a thriller, and it will get a limited US release beginning January 24, 2014,  (and certainly rated NC-17).

Suzanne: her bad choices take their toll

by

The authentic and raw French drama Suzanne starts as a family story about a single dad working as a long haul trucker and his two daughters, Maria and Suzanne.  The younger daughter Suzanne makes some bad choices that impact the rest of her family.  The film is not just about the title character, but about each family member and the consequences each must bear.

Francois Damiens is especially good as the dad, a guy who has sacrificed so much for his daughters, and just can’t bear anymore drama.   Adele Haenel is excellent as the exuberant and responsible older sister Maria.  As Suzanne, Sara Forestier manages to portray someone who is not a bit not superficial or not serious, but who is fatally impulsive.  In the fluffy The Names of Love,  Forestier was actually convincing as a woman so distractable that she doesn’t notice that she has left her flat and boarded the Paris Metro without wearing any clothes.  It’s impressive to see the range she demonstrates playing the train-wreck of a protagonist in Suzanne.

I saw Suzanne at the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series.  I’ve read that Suzanne may get a US theatrical release starting December 13.  I hope so – it’s a fine film.

Bastards: unnecessarily disturbing

by

The great French actor Vincent Lindon (Mademoiselle Chambon, Augustine) leads a fine cast in the dark and unnecessarily disturbing Bastards (Les Salauds).  Bastards is getting attention primarily because of its renowned director Claire Denis.  I am generally NOT a fan of Denis (although I liked her 2008 film 35 Shots of Rum).  There’s really nothing wrong with Bastards – it’s well-crafted and well-acted – except the story.

The tale is about Lindon’s character seeking to take revenge for a family tragedy on the rich bad guy who is responsible.  Because this is a very dark movie, it doesn’t end well.  Now I like dark movies and I would have been OK with the despairing ending, but Bastards needlessly exploits a human trafficking plot thread to make the bad guy worse than he needs to be.  Then the final ten minutes is entirely gratuitous.  I’ve seen over 15,000 movies, and I would put Bastards among the five or so most disturbing.

(The 40-year-old actress Chiara Mastroianni is pretty damn appealing as the target of Lindon’s lust; as the daughter of Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, she benefits from good genes.)

I saw Bastards at the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series.  It is available streaming on Amazon, Google Play and XBOX Live.

House of Radio: radio speaking for itself – on camera

by

French documentarian Nicolas Philibert takes on a backstage tour of the seven channels of Radio France in House of Radio (La Maison de la Radio).  Philibert’s style is entirely observational – there is no narration and I remember only one title  identifying the Radio France building at beginning of film.  The camera just watches the people of Radio France do their jobs – including interviews, news reports, performances, games shows and even the sports reporters on motorbikes covering the Tour de France.

As San Francisco Film Society Director of Programming Rachel Rosen noted, radio is a medium that draws much of its power from the absence of images.  The editing in House of Radio seems completely random but it’s not – Philibert strings all of his nuggets together so that we never lose interest.  I want to see this guy’s next movie.

I saw House of Radio at the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series.  It’s not currently available in theaters or on DVD or streaming in the US.

A World Without Women: an amusingly awkward but vulnerable guy

by
A WORLD WITHOUT WOMEN

In the French film A World Without Women (Un monde sans femmes), Vincent Macaigne plays a lovable loser who manages holiday rentals in a northern French beach town.  He is amiable and good-hearted, but lonely and painfully socially inept.  A good timing single mom brings her college age daughter for a week on the beach and teases him out of his protective shell and into a position of maximum vulnerability.

Macaigne’s characterization is outstanding.  We really care for him and don’t want him to get hurt.  But Macaigne brilliantly employs little touches to illustrate his character’s utter lack of savoir-faire.  For example, at one point he and the mom are leaning shoulder to shoulder against a fence.  She has her arms crossed, and she’s leading him on.  He grasps her her nearest hand with his nearest hand.  But since he’s now holding her left hand with his left, he has pinned her left arm awkwardly across her body like a pretzel, which drains all of the sexual spark out of the situation.  And he can’t put his arm around her because he’s already using that arm to hold her hand.  It’s such a simple action, yet so meaningful.

Laure Calamy is also very good as the fortyish gal who dresses too young and flirts with every available man, leaving male carnage in her wake.

Writer-director Guillaume Brac shows a real command of characters and dialogue in this film.  I’m looking forward to his first feature.  A World Without Women is only 56 minutes long, and plays with Brac’s 24 minute Stranded, which also stars Macaigne as essentially the same character  The two films played together in Paris to surprising popularity.  Fortunately, Brac decided not to bloat the two screenplays into two bad 90-minute features.  Good for him.

I saw both Stranded and A World Without Women at the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series.  A World Without Women is not available now on any platform (DVD, Stream, VOD) that I can find, but when it is, I’ll make it a Stream of the Week.  This trailer is in French without subtitles.

Mobile Home: another tale of immature slackers

by
MOBILE HOME

In the Belgian comedy Mobile Home, two underachievers in their late 20s, decide to move away from their parents.  They move into a Fiat version of a Winnebago so they can tour the world.  But their big move isn’t really that independent because they park the new home on wheels within an easy drive of their parents.  The question in Mobile Home is whether either of them will catch even a whiff of adult responsibility or whether they will continue denying that it is time to get a real job.

This Belgian story is smarter than most Hollywood bromances, but nothing we haven’t seen before.  A nice little festival film.

I saw Mobile Home at the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series.  The trailer is in French without subtitles.

All Together: the elderly resisting aging

by
ALL TOGETHER

All Together (Et si on vivait tous ensemble?)  is a poignant French comedy about five septuagenarian friends who decide to eschew the nursing home and live communally.  They hire an anthropology grad student as a caregiver, and he changes his thesis topic to study the social and sexual behavior of the European elderly.

The comedy comes as they resist the insults of age.  One elderly activist, bullhorn in hand, is dismissed as an impotent, harmless crank when the cops refuse to arrest him at a demonstration even when he hits a cop in the helmet with a bottle.

The excellent cast includes Jane Fonda (acting for the first time in fluent French in thirty years).  Geraldine Chaplin, who has acted in French, Spanish, Italian and German films over the years, is impressively spry.   The great French comic actor Pierre Richard (The Man with the One Brown Shoe?) is brilliant as a man terrified by his increasing loss of memory.

Although it covers similar territory as this year’s indie hit The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (a slightly better film), they are different movies, with All Together more focused on mortality and the infirmities that come with age.

I saw All Together at the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series.  All Together is now available in the US on Video On Demand, including Amazon Instant Video.