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New York's Rendez-Vous With French Cinema · 2017

New York's Rendez-Vous With French Cinema 2017

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Programme

23 films · 9 reviews

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150 Milligrams (La Fille De Brest)

Review preview for 150 Milligrams

Knudsen is magnetic as the film's relentlessly pounding heart and its easy to fall into step with her beat.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
A lung specialist discovers a direct link between suspicious deaths and state-approved medicine. She fights single-handedly for the truth to come out.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Emmanuelle Bercot; Writer: Emmanuelle Bercot, Séverine Bosschem, Romain Compingt, Irène Frachon; Stars: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Benoît Magimel)

Full review

US premiere

The Aquatic Effect (L'Effet Aquatique, The Together Project)

A builder falls for a swimmer and starts swimming lessons in a bid to catch her eye.

(Country: France, Iceland; Year: 2016; Director: Sólveig Anspach; Writer: Sólveig Anspach, Jean-Luc Gaget; Stars: Samir Guesmi, Florence Loiret Caille, Philippe Rebbot, Estéban, Stéphane Soo Mongo, Olivia Côte, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Ágúst Bjarnason, Samer Bisharat, Frosti Runólfsson, Didda Jónsdóttir)

The Dancer

The story of the rivalry between Loie Fuller and Isadora Duncan.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2016; Director: Stéphanie Di Giusto; Writer: Stéphanie Di Giusto, Giovanni Lista, Sarah Thibau; Stars: Lily-Rose Melody Depp, Mélanie Thierry, Gaspard Ulliel, Louis Garrel, William Houston, Soko, François Damiens, David Bowles, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Petra Buckova, James Flynn, Frans Boyer, Charlie Morgan)

Daydreams (L'indomptée)

A group of young French artists converge at Rome’s sun-dappled Villa Medicis for a one-year residency.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Caroline Deruas-Garrel; Writer: Caroline Deruas-Garrel, Maud Ameline, Victoria Kaario; Stars: Clotilde Hesme, Jenna Thiam, Tchéky Karyo, Bernard Verley, Renato Carpentieri, Pascal Rénéric, Marilyne Canto, Candela Cottis, Virgil Vernier, Tadzio Piet, Filippo Timi, Marina Rocco, Fausto Paravidino, Tanya Lopert, Lolita Chammah)

Django

Biopic of jazz guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Étienne Comar; Writer: Étienne Comar, Alexis Salatko, Alexis Salatko; Stars: Reda Kateb, Cécile De France, Alex Brendemühl, Maximilien Poullein, Ulrich Brandhoff, Aloïse Sauvage, Antoine Laurent, Alexandre Sauty, Gabriel Mireté)

Opening night. American premiere

Faultless (Irréprochable)

Out of money and options, 40-year-old Constance abandons her life in Paris and returns to her suburban hometown in hopes of picking up where she left off.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Sébastien Marnier; Writer: Samuel Doux, Sébastien Marnier; Stars: Marina Foïs, Jérémie Elkaïm, Joséphine Japy, Benjamin Biolay, Jean-Luc Vincent, Véronique Ruggia, Jeanne Rosa, Mathilde Wambergue, Franck Beckmann, Alexandre Lhomme, Kamal Halloul, Robin Le Prêtre, Thierry Templier, Gary Cook, Heather Cook)

Frantz

Review preview for Frantz

Frequently and not at all randomly, the film switches to colour, posing a charming riddle that reflects states of happiness or other kinds of intensity.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
In the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious French man who visits the fiancé's grave to lay flowers.

(Country: France, Germany; Year: 2016; Director: François Ozon; Writer: François Ozon, Philippe Piazzo; Stars: Pierre Niney, Paula Beer, Ernst Stötzner, Marie Gruber, Johann von Bülow, Anton von Lucke, Cyrielle Clair, Alice de Lencquesaing, Axel Wandtke, Rainer Egger, Rainer Silberschneider, Merlin Rose, Ralf Dittrich, Michael Witte, Lutz Blochberger)

Full review See: Interview with François Ozon about Frantz

From The Land Of The Moon (Mal de pierres)

Review preview for From The Land Of The Moon

Cotillard's face oscillates mysteriously between the past depicted on the screen and a woman of the present who tries to understand.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
Twenty-year story of the loves of a passionate, free-spirited woman.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2016; Director: Nicole Garcia; Writer: Nicole Garcia and Jacques Fieschi, based on the book by Milena Agus; Stars: Marion Cotillard, Louis Garrel, Àlex Brendemühl, Brigitte Roüan, Gwendoline Fiquet, Victoire Du Bois, Aloïse Sauvage, Inès Grunenwald, Victor Quilichini, Caroline Megglé)

Full review See: Nicole Garcia in conversation on Marion Cotillard, Catherine Leterrier, François Ozon and From The Land Of The Moon (Mal De Pierres)

Heal The Living (Réparer les vivants)

Review preview for Heal The Living

Anna Dorval as the transplant's recipient, Dominique Blanc's surgeon, and Emmanuelle Seigner's turn as the mother of the donor are all note-perfect.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
Drama about lives connected by an organ transplant.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2016; Director: Katell Quillévéré; Writer: Katell Quillévéré and Gilles Taurand, based on the book by Maylis De Kerangal; Stars: Tahar Rahim, Emmanuelle Seigner, Anne Dorval, Bouli Lanners, Kool Shen, Monia Chokri, Alice Taglioni, Karim Leklou, Finnegan Oldfield, Théo Cholbi, Alice de Lencquesaing, Gabin Verdet, Galatéa Bellugi, Titouan Alda, Andranic Manet)

Full review See: Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Katell Quillévéré in conversation on Heal The Living (Réparer Les Vivants)

In Bed With Victoria

Review preview for In Bed With Victoria

I like that this film includes a good deal of interesting, amusing gender role reversal

Jane Fae · 4 out of 5
Comedy about a single mum trying to strike a balance in her life.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Justine Triet; Writer: Justine Triet; Stars: Laure Calamy, Virginie Efira, Vincent Lacoste, Emmanuelle Lanfray, Laurent Poitrenaux, Melvil Poupaud)

Full review

In The Forests Of Siberia (Dans les forêts de Sibérie)

Tale of survival, sees a young Frenchman leave everything behind to live in isolation in the icy Siberian taiga.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Safy Nebbou; Writer: Safy Nebbou, David Oelhoffen, based on the book by Sylvain Tesson; Stars: Raphaël Personnaz, Evgeniy Sidikhin)

Journey To Greenland (Le voyage au Groenland)

Scruffy, thirtysomething best friends both named Thomas leave behind their struggling acting careers in Paris for an extended sojourn in a remote, snowbound stretch of Greenland.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Sébastien Betbeder; Writer: Sébastien Betbeder; Stars: Thomas Blanchard, Thomas Scimeca, François Chattot, Ole Eliassen, Adam Eskilden, Benedikte Eliassen, Mathias Petersen, Judith Henry, Martin Jensen)

Mum's Wrong (Maman a tort)

When idealistic 14-year-old Anouk embarks on a weeklong internship at her mom’s insurance company, she gets a crash course in the less-than-rosy reality of the corporate world.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2016; Director: Marc Fitoussi; Writer: Marc Fitoussi; Stars: Jeanne Jestin, Émilie Dequenne, Nelly Antignac, Camille Chamoux, Annie Grégorio, Sabrina Ouazani, Jean-François Cayrey, Grégoire Ludig, Louvia Bachelier, Stéphane Bissot, Joshua Mazé, Lucie Fagedet, Jennifer Dubourg, Dorothée Martinet, Audrey Quoturi)

Nocturama

Review preview for Nocturama

It is in the second half of Nocturama - which takes place in a department store by night - that Bertrand Bonello's prowess at showing us worlds closing in on themselves comes to full force.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4.5 out of 5
One morning in Paris. A fistful of adolescents, from different backgrounds. Individually, they begin a strange dance through the labyrinth of the metro and the streets of the capital. They seem to be following a plan.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Bertrand Bonello; Writer: Bertrand Bonello; Stars: Finnegan Oldfield, Vincent Rottiers, Hamza Meziani, Manal Issa, Martin Petit-Guyot, Jamil McCraven, Rabah Nait Oufella, Laure Valentinelli, Ilias Le Doré, Robin Goldbronn, Luis Rego, Hermine Karagheuz, Adèle Haenel)

Full review See: Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Bertrand Bonello in conversation on Nocturama

The Odyssey (L'odyssée)

Review preview for The Odyssey

The tension between Philippe and his dad ultimately drives the film in ways that lead Salle to cut corners with other characters and leave it caught in the doldrums when Niney is absent.

Amber Wilkinson · 2.5 out of 5
Biopic of the underwater pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Jérôme Salle; Writer: Jean-Michel Cousteau, Albert Falco, Jérôme Salle, Laurent Turner; Stars: Lambert Wilson, Audrey Tautou, Pierre Niney, Benjamin Lavernhe, Laurent Lucas)

Full review See: Jérôme Salle in conversation on Lambert Wilson's performance as Jacques-Yves Cousteau in The Odyssey (L'Odyssée) , Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Jérôme Salle in conversation on The Odyssey (L'Odyssée) , Director Jerôme Salle interview about diving into the life of Jacques Cousteau

Closing night. US premiere

The Paris Opera (L'Opèra de Paris)

Documentary, going behind the scenes of the Paris Opera.

(Country: France; Year: 2017; Director: Jean-Stéphane Bron)

US premiere

Planetarium

Two psychic sisters cross paths with a French producer while performing in 1930s Paris.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2016; Director: Rebecca Zlotowski; Writer: Rebecca Zlotowski, Robin Campillo; Stars: Natalie Portman, Lily-Rose Depp, Emmanuel Salinger, Amira Casar, Pierre Salvadori, Louis Garrel, David Bennent, Damien Chapelle, Jerzy Rogulski, Camille Lellouche, Christophe Odent, Kamel Abdelli, Michel Zlotowski, Talina Boyaci, Benoît Forgeard)

Raw (Grave)

A girl from a family of vegetarians decides to eat raw meat for the first time with unexpected consequences.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2016; Director: Julia Ducournau; Writer: Julia Ducournau; Stars: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Nait Oufella, Laurent Lucas, Bouli Lanners, Joana Preiss, Marion Vernoux, )

Right Here Right Now (Tout de suite maintenant)

A woman's new job becomes a trial by fire after she discovers her boss knows her dad from his college days.

(Country: France, Belgium, Luxembourg; Year: 2016; Director: Pascal Bonitzer; Writer: Pascal Bonitzer, Agnès de Sacy; Stars: Agathe Bonitzer, Vincent Lacoste, Lambert Wilson, Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Julia Faure, Pascal Greggory, Virgil Vernier, Yannick Renier, François Baldassare, Vincent Collin, Pierre Léon, Vladimir Léon, Nicole Dogué, Iliana Lolitch)

Sophie's Misfortunes (Les Malheurs De Sophie)

Review preview for Sophie's Misfortunes

It all works together to pay tribute to the tiny, all important, personality-building feelings that are so often forgotten.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
A girl's life changes dramatically after she is left in the care of her stepmother.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Christophe Honoré; Writer: Christophe Honoré, Gilles Taurand, based on the books by the Countess of Ségur ; Stars: Caroline Grant, Anaïs Demoustier, Golshifteh Farahani, Muriel Robin, Céleste Carrale, Aélys Le Nevé, Tristan Farge, Justine Morin, Marlene Saldana, Jean-Charles Clichet, David Prat, Laetitia Dosch, Michel Fau, Elsa Lepoivre, Annie Mercier)

Full review

US premiere

Slack Bay (Ma Loute)

Review preview for Slack Bay

The absurd exaggerations and the wild parishes of humor are completely original, never cruel, and attached to a physicality that is pure cinema.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 5 out of 5
Period comedy, set in 1910, about the investigation into disappearances from beaches in France.

(Country: Germany, France; Year: 2016; Director: Bruno Dumont; Writer: Bruno Dumont; Stars: Fabrice Luchini, Juliette Binoche, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Thierry Lavieville, Jean-Luc Vincent, Didier Desprès, Raph, Laura Dupré, Brandon Lavieville, Cyril Rigaux, Angélique Vergara)

Full review See: Interview with Bruno Dumont about Slack Bay and Jeannette, L'Enfance De Jeanne d'Arc , Bruno Dumont in conversation on Slack Bay (Ma Loute) and his Cannes musical

The Stopover (Voir du pays)

Misongyny in the French military among soldiers stopping off in Cyprus after a tour of Afghanistan.

(Country: France, Greece; Year: 2016; Director: Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin; Writer: Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin; Stars: Soko, Ariane Labed, Ginger Romàn, Karim Leklou, Andreas Konstantinou, Makis Papadimitriou, Alexis Manenti, Robin Barde, Sylvain Loreau, Jérémie Laheurte, Damien Bonnard, Jean-Yves Jouannais, Pierre Devérines, Kevin Delta, Yves Francillette)

Struggle For Life (La Loi de la jungle)

Satire about a middle-aged intern sent from France to French Guiana to set up a ski resort.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Antonin Peretjatko; Writer: Frédéric Ciriez, Antonin Peretjatko; Stars: Vincent Macaigne, Vimala Pons, Pascal Légitimus, Mathieu Amalric, Fred Tousch, Rodolphe Pauly, Jean-Luc Bideau, Pascal Tagnati, Thomas De Pourquery, Philippe Laudenbach, Marc-Antoine Vaugeois, Jamel El Gharbi, Stéphane Petillot, Serge Trinquecoste, Laura Giudice)