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French Film Festival · 2010

French Film Festival 2010

Discovery Horizons

Ssection dedicated to films by first and second-time directors. This year widened to encompass films from Switzerland and Quebec.

Programme

7 films · 4 reviews

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An Ordinary Execution (Une Exécution Ordinaire)

Review preview for An Ordinary Execution

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

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
An imagined encounter between the ageing Joseph Stalin and a young doctor with extraordinary healing abilities.

(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Marc Dugain; Writer: Marc Dugain; Stars: André Dussollier, Marina Hands, Edouard Baer, Denis Podalydès, Tom Novembre, Grégory Gadebois, Gilles Gaston-Dreyfus, Anne Benoît, Marie Payen, Amandine Dewasmes, Régis Romele, Gilles Ségal, Vincent Ozanon, Horatiu Bob, Denis Falgoux) , Official site

Bus Palladium

Review preview for Bus Palladium

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

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
A group of rockers try to make it big, learning life lessons along the way.

(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Christopher Thompson; Writer: Christopher Thompson; Stars: Marc-André Grondin, Arthur Dupont, Elisa Sednaoui, Géraldine Pailhas, François Civil, Jules Pélissier, Abraham Belaga, Karole Rocher, Dominique Reymond, Naomi Greene, Noémie Lvovsky, Solange Najman, Agathe Bonitzer, Xavier Pottier, Zara Prassinot) , Official site

The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson)

Review preview for The Hedgehog

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

Anton Bitel · 3 out of 5
A precocious 11-year-old decides to kill herself on her 12th birthday.

(Country: France, Italy; Year: 2009; Director: Mona Achache; Writer: Mona Achache, Muriel Barbery; Stars: Josiane Balasko, Garance Le Guillermic, Igawa Togo, Anne Brochet, Ariane Ascoride, Wladmir Yordanoff, Sarah Le Picard, Jean-Luc Porraz) , Official site

Imogène (Imogène McCarthery)

Fifties-style spy spoof, set in Scotland

(Country: France; Year: 2009; Director: Alexandre Charlot, Franck Magnier; Writer: Alexandre Charlot, Charles Exbrayat, Franck Magnier; Stars: Catherine Frot, Lambert Wilson, Danièle Lebrun, Michel Aumont, Lionel Abelanski, Pierre Laplace, Francis Leplay, Nicolas Vaude, Sara Giraudeau, Anne Benoît, Michel Duchaussoy)

The Small Room (La Petite Chambre)

A relationship sparks between a bereaved nurse and an old man.

(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Stéphanie Chuat, Véronique Reymond; Stars: Florence Loiret Caille, Michel Bouquet, Eric Caravaca, Joël Delsaut, Valerie Bodson, Véronique Fauconnet, Marc Olinger, Claudine Pelletier, Daniel Plier, Raoul Schlechter)

Straight To The Heart (En Plein Coeur)

Review preview for Straight To The Heart

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.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A car thief runs into trouble when he experiences love at first sight.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2008; Director: Stéphane Géhami; Writer: Julian Ferrera, Stéphane Géhami, Jacques Marcotte, Héloïse Masse; Stars: Bénédicte Décary, Julie Deslauriers, Sandra Dumaresq, Patrice Godin, Karine Lagueux, Jean Maheux, Jacques Marcotte, Marie-France Marcotte, Keven Noël, Martin David Peters, Pierre Rivard, Dino Tavarone)

White As Snow (Blanc Comme Neige)

Film noir sees a car salesman in deep trouble turn to his dodgy brothers for help.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2010; Director: Christophe Blanc; Writer: Christophe Blanc, Roger Bohbot; Stars: François Cluzet, Olivier Gourmet, Jonathan Zaccaï, Bouli Lanners, Louise Bourgoin, Pertti Koivula, Ilkka Koivula, Kai Lehtinen, Sasha Queille, Lauri Uusitalo, Brigitte Messina, Gianluca Matarrese, Noria Tzaprenko, Ludo Hellinx, Luc Wouters) , Official site