French Film Festival — A–Z of films

It is the casual nature of Stalin's cruelty that makes this film such a compelling watch.

Where Bus Palladium really scores is in its insight into the sexual culture surrounding this sort of fame.

This fable for our times manages to be touching, comedic, and poignant.

It's an old story, but rarely has it been this appealingly told.

A film that's a bit hit and miss but that, at its best, provokes uproarious laughter, and succeeds in charming throughout.

Achache overexplains the odd reference to Tolstoy and strips away almost entirely her source's more philosophical content.

While eight-year-olds on up with love the scrapes and triumphs that the kids get themselves into, there is also a lot of pleasure to be had from an adult's perspective.

The twisting narrative is rendered skilfully so that it is easy to follow even as allegiences and alliances shift, and there is plenty of space to revel in the complexity of the characters.

A stark political satire, exposing all the divisions and frictions – social, sexual, racial, cultural and religious – of a modern multi-cultural France.

It's a heavy-handed storyline in places, but is alleviated considerably by Keven Noël, who plays Jimi with real assurance yet with a refreshing lightness of touch.