The beauty of this film lies not in its plot (which is as old as the hills) or the quality
of the acting (which is good, but not exceptional) – but in its use of typically French
humour.
The film begins by contrasting... [More...]
The central premise of the film – that the man investigating a serious crime should end
up distrusting his superior as much as the villains – is an interesting one... [More...]
Despite its simplicity, La Fille seule is an extraordinarily compelling film, offering
a profound and revealing insight into the mind of a rebellious young woman who suddenly
finds herself saddled with the burden of motherhood... [More...]
The 1990s was a good decade for French cinema, with some great internationally acclaimed
successes and booming box office receipts in France. But there is one film that
stands out above all others for its impact... [More...]
With its bizarre construction (relying heavily on out-of-sequence flashbacks), Les
Voleurs appears more like an intellectual exercise than a conventional passive cinema
experience... [More...]
Déjà mort is the film which earned its director Olivier Dahan his
reputation as a film director to watch out for. It is a brave attempt to push
the film noir genre into new territory... [More...]
Florent-Emilio Siri’s first full length-film earned him the Cyril Collard prize in 1998,
although it enjoyed only a short and not hugely successful run at the cinema... [More...]
Perhaps no one is better placed than Diane Kurys to make a film which explores a turbulent
period in the life of one of France’s most controversial women writers... [More...]
Anyone who appreciated Gérard Corbiau’s previous musical
extravaganzas Le Maître de musique
(1991) and Farinelli (1994) will enjoy his
latest overblown music fest... [More...]
With this, his third film, Xavier Beauvois amply demonstrates that he is one of most promising
directors of his generation, a worthy successor to the likes of Renoir... [More...]
One of the most controversial and critically acclaimed French language films of 2001,
La Pianiste is not a comfortable film to watch but it is profoundly moving and
compelling in its depiction of sexual repression and... [More...]
The action thriller is a genre which is rarely attempted by French film directors, in
spite of its popularity with younger cinemagoers. Nid
de guêpes is a spirited and overall pretty respectable attempt to emulate
... [More...]
With La Fleur du mal, a masterfully composed psychological drama, acclaimed director
Claude Chabrol revisits his favourite theme: murder within the bosom of the provincial
Bourgeoisie... [More...]
Once again, director Claude Chabrol takes us on a sinister exploration of the darker side
of human nature in another of his taut psychological thrillers... [More...]
The much-publicised "sequel" to Mathieu Kassovitz’s popular 2000 film Les Rivières pourpres
takes the big budget Grand Guignol spectacle of guns and gore up
several notches whilst happily flushing virtually... [More...]
