Although it was obviously a cataclysmic tragedy, World War II has had many a kitschy film treatment (e.g. Indiana Jones, Inglourious Basterds) among the melodramas and earnest soldier stories.  Meanwhile, without the histrionic evil of the Axis, Worl …Read more

In A Bag of Marbles two young brothers must flee their parents’ home in occupied France, to find safety in the free zone. Having never left their home alone before, they endure hardships and meet an assortment of characters along the way, all while m …Read more

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema returns to the Film Society of Lincoln Center for its 23rd edition, which highlights the most exciting works being done in France. From rock musicals to dark comedies and sumptuous melodramas, this year’s roster of film …Read more

Nothing is ever what it seems in the films of Francois Ozon, and in Double Lover the director takes his mischievous style of filmmaking to unexpectedly blissful places. Ozon reunited with his Young and Beautiful star Marine Vacth, who plays Chloé, a …Read more

Double Lover is based on a deliciously plump mystery novella by Joyce Carol Oates called Lives of the Twins. In 1991 a US film was also inspired by the story, it starred Isabella Rossellini, Aidan Quinn, and Iman. Thankfully, Francois Ozon’s adaptati …Read more

Interpreter: Ellen Sowchek Polina is the first fiction film by the team of choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, and director Valérie Müller, it’s based on a graphic novel by Bastien Vivès which chronicles the journey a young dancer (Anastasia Shevtsova) …Read more

Though it premiered at Locarno, Luc Bondy’s final feature False Confessions appears to have been billed as TV movie and been broadcast on television in Europe, as opposed or prior to a theatrical release. A French television movie seems like an oxymo …Read more

Watching Slack Bay is like listening to a stranger’s overlong joke. Eliciting at first a mild laughter, the anecdote trails on, leaving your politely affixed smile now paining your face. Bruno Dumont’s follow-up to Li’l Quinquin runs an unhurried two …Read more

In 2017 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema celebrates its 22nd year of showcasing the diversity and exuberance of Gallic cinema. With new works by the likes of Bruno Dumont, Francois Ozon and Nicole Garcia, the festival co-presented with UniFrance featur …Read more

Léo (Damien Bonnard), the hero of Alain Guiraudie’s Staying Vertical is a lost man. When we first meet him he is driving aimlessly seemingly looking for purpose. He thinks he finds it when he discovers the beautiful young Yoan (Basile Meilleurat) on …Read more