This year The Film Society of Lincoln Center is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the beloved series Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, which over the past two decades has introduced New Yorkers to some of the most vibrant French films. This year the lineup includes new films by the likes of Benoît Jacquot, Mélanie Laurent and André Téchiné, plus special events like free talks, a Closing Night live musical performance by composers LoW Entertainment and several art exhibitions showcasing the brightest stars of French cinema.

The main slate includes over twenty feature length American premieres and a shorts program, and is being co-presented with Unifrance Films. We got a preview of the selection and these are five films we think you shouldn’t miss.

 3 Hearts

The Opening Night film, directed by Benoît Jacquot, is a sweeping melodrama that might as well have been made in the 1940s and starred Bette Davis. Charlotte Gainsbourg and Chiara Mastroianni play two sisters who unknowingly fall in love with the same man (Benoît Poelvoorde). A subplot of political corruption can’t take away from the fact that this is an extremely romantic movie that might have you reaching for your handkerchief with every unexpected turn. Catherine Deneuve stars as the leading ladies’ mother, she mostly smokes, serves food and hands out stoic advice, but what else can you ask for?

Young Tiger

A young Punjabi immigrant (Harmandeep Palminder) trying to make enough money to send home to his parents, while pursuing an education, becomes entangled in a human trafficking ring. Expertly directed by Cyprien Vial, who observes more than he “directs”, Young Tiger is a coming of age story the likes of which we rarely get to see onscreen.

40-Love

After losing his job, middle aged family man Jérôme (Olivier Gourmet), becomes obsessed with the idea of starting a business enterprise that seems doomed from the beginning to everyone but him. His focus suddenly shifts when he realizes his young song Ugo (Charles Mérienne) could potentially become a professional tennis player. Playing with the idea of unspoken competition between parents and children, director Stéphane Demoustier weaves a sober drama with shades of Clouzot.

Reality

If Inception had actually bothered to try and resemble dreams, instead of looking like an over-polished James Bond film, it might have been something like Reality. Quentin Dupieux’s endlessly inventive comedy stars Alain Chabat as a filmmaker given the task of finding “an Oscar-worthy groan”. He will travel to the confines of the subconscious as the Sisyphean endeavor haunts his daydreams and nightmares, populated with versions of characters he might know in real life. The film’s Russian structure doll is a delight! You will never know what’s happening next, and how could you, when the film plays out as if someone plugged a projector into the director’s head and showed it to us.

Fidelio, Alice’s Journey

Ariane Labed plays Alice, a ship engineer, who goes on board a freighter where she will spend the next three months, only to discover the captain (Melvil Poupaud) is her ex-lover. Sensuously directed by Lucie Borleteau, the film is a fascinating character study in which we see Alice try to carve her way within a purely male-dominated world. Instead of being a tale of survival in the most basic sense, it’s a story of self-discovery amidst societal biases. Labed gives a star-making performance.

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema begins on Friday March 6. For tickets and more information, visit The Film Society of Lincoln Center.