Rev Stan's film blog

French/Canadian cinema burns bright: Incendies

This is a corker of a film. It starts with twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) being read their mother Nawal's (Lubna Azabal) will through which she requests they find their father, whom they thought was dead and a brother they never knew they had. Once they find them they are to give them each a letter and only then can she can be buried.

With their mother's unknown past hammering on their door, Jeanne decides to leave for the Middle East to search for her brother and father. Simon, who is having problems coming to terms with the situation initially decides to stay at home but as Jeanne starts to discover the truth is persuaded to fly out to help.

The film then interweaves the siblings search and the story of their mother's violent and heartbreaking early life from her teens at the outbreak of religious unrest and then civil war in an unnamed Middle Eastern country - most likely Lebanon. The two threads gradually draw together as Jeanne and Simon discover the truth.

And it is stark, shocking, intelligent and gripping. Beautifully shot and acted it is one of those films that lingers long after you leave the cinema.

It's getting 87% from me. Over on Rotten Tomatoes it's got 92% from both critics and viewers while on IMDb it's got 8.2/10.

 

The Potiche 15 minute film review

Must admit that French comedy normally leaves me feeling a bit 'meh' but I was drawn to this Catherine Deneuve/Gerard Depardieu vehicle because underneath the humour and the very kitsch 70s setting there was an interesting history lesson.

Deneuve is the 'potiche' or trophy wife of the title - Suzanne Pujol - although this being the 70s it doesn't mean spoilt in the way it does today, it means stay at home wife who's husband views her as nothing more than a home-maker.

The husband in question, Robert (Fabrice Luchini), owns the local umbrella factory and runs it with an iron fist and disregard to the workers conditions, and as a result strikes are frequent. He's also having an affair with his secretary.

When Robert is taken hostage by the workers Suzanne is forced to call on the help of her former lover and now left-wing politician Maurice Babin (Depardieu). The shock of the kidnap sends Robert to his sick bed and Suzanne to the head of the table in the boardroom. With the help of Babin, she succeeds in winning over the workers and everything begins to runs smoothly.

And it is a real joy to watch. Deneuve proves at 67 that she has still got charm and sex-appeal by the bagful and for all the kitsch, frothiness there are plenty of nods to the real issues of the day. The way the men behave and talk to the woman serves as a stark reminder of what has changed and what hasn't. 

It put a real smile on my face and I'm giving it 79%. IMDb has given it 6.8/10 and Rotten Tomatoes UK doesn't have a consensus yet.

 

 

 

The 'argh getting behind with my reviews' review: Love Like Poison

This is a coming of age tale - that difficult time when you start to leave childhood behind, realise your parents aren't perfect and have your first sexual encounters.

The protagonist, in this French film, is Anna played by new-comer Clara Augarde. Her mother is religious and has her educated at single sex Catholic boarding school but her father is an atheist who has just moved out to be with another woman.

Her mother seeks solace in old childhood friend and local priest Pere Francois and is struggling to come to terms with the split, admitting in confession to feeling jealous of her estranged husband's love for their daughter.

The 'argh getting behind with my reviews' review: Farewell

Actually saw this French cold war spy thriller a couple of weekends ago but Birthday celebrations and general busy-ness got in the way of writing up my thoughts.

I'm a bit of a fan of films set during the cold war and have been looking out for something to match up to the excellent The Lives of Others (2007) for sometime. This one seemed to fit the bill: It's set in Moscow rather than Germany and is about a French engineer, Pierre, who reluctantly gets roped into passing on Russian secrets to the French intelligence service.

It is based on a true story and certainly has a good dollop of tension but this feels more like a character piece, focusing on the relationship that develops between Pierre (Guillaume Canet) and the Russian mole Sergei (Emir Kusturica) and their motives. The stronger the bond and understanding then the more there is to loose.

There is much to enjoy about Farewell including scenes towards the end that have you holding your breath but it stops just a smidge short of matching The Lives of Others somehow.

I'm giving it 71%. It gets 86% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 75% of site visitors liked it too. On Metacritic it gets 75% from the critics but hasn't had enough users rate it yet.

 

The breath of French air: Little White Lies

After a run of mediocre to bad Hollywood films this French ensemble piece was a breath of fresh air. OK so it's a bit long and indulgent in places but it still feel like a gourmet burger after a McDonalds.

A group gathers around their friend's hospital bed as he recovers from a serious road traffic accident. They debate whether they should still go on their annual group holiday or not. And essentially that's what they do, go on holiday.

But each has a secret, something they are not being honest about. So they laugh, they have fun, they argue, get on each others nerves and all the time the pack of white lies they have built starts to look more and more precarious. It take one tragic event to bring the whole lot tumbling down and make them all face up to a few home truths.

There aren't any great shocks if that is what you are expecting, it is more of a slow burn, but it is funny, engaging and the ending packs an emotional punch (and it made me want to go on holiday to France and drink wine over-looking the sea). It also stars some of the cream of French acting talent not least being the wonderful Marion Cotillard.

I'm giving it 58%. On Rotten Tomatoes the 23 critics gave it an average of 48% while the site's user rating was much higher at 67%. It isn't listed on Metacritic.

 

Of Gods and Men impressed Cannes but did it impress Stan?

Xavier Beauvois's film is based on the true story of a group of aging French monks kidnapped from their monastery in the Atlas mountains in Algeria by terrorists in 1996.

Much of the film follows the day to day life of the monks growing food, tending their bees, providing medical care and clothing for the local village as well as writing and reading for the illiterate. And of course praying, reading and debating the bible and looking out for each other.

It is a peaceful and mutually respectful co-existence between Catholic monks and the local muslim community. There is no scandal, drama, tension or jealously between the monks themselves or with the village. It is a harsh environment and they help each other. 

They take part in community debates and decision making and have friends there who invite them to their family celebrations.

It is a slow pace of life but the gathering threat of the renegade army, while doing nothing to the speed with which duties are performed, disturbs their inner peace.

The monks debate with the village council whether they should flee the impending danger or stay and face almost certain death at the hands of the terrorists. The villagers want them to stay: 'you are the branch and we are the birds' says one.

It is the debate within themselves that is the more difficult one. Each has to make their own decision as to whether to stay or go. Faith is tested in some while in others it is the strength they need.

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky

What can I say about this film? Well it's beautiful - I love the period and Chanel's style is par excellence so it gets loads of points for elegance.

But what of Chanel and Igor themselves and the relationship the film is set around?

Stravinsky (Mads Mikkelsen looking like a period Freddie Mercury) first meets Chanel (Anna Mouglalis) at the disastrous first performance  of his The Rite of Spring in which police are brought in to calm down the disgruntled crowd.

A few years later, exiled from his native Russia and living in a cramped hotel with his wife and family, Chanel offers him her house outside Paris in order to work. And so he moves with his family and a relationship develops between him and his host.

Other than a physical attraction their motives for their liaison aren't clear. Chanel leads Stravinsky into adultery by stripping off in front of him. When confronted by his dying wife, who guesses what is going on, Chanel offers no apology or signs of remorse despite her interest in Stravinsky already appearing to be on wane.  As the relationship begins to crumble he produces the rework of The Rite of Spring which was to be hailed a masterpiece and she finally chooses the signature Chanel no. 5 scent.

Chanel comes across as manipulative bitch to Stravinsky's lost devoted puppy and we are led to believe their liaison helped them create some of their best work.

It's an unsatisfying biography that reveals little about the people themselves rather concentrating on the relationship that may or may not have actually happened but if you want to watch women swanning around in beautiful clothes in elegant settings then it's definitely worth it just for that.

What the professionals said:

Steve Rose in The Guardian gave it three stars commenting "Ultimately, the affair develops into a brittle battle of artistic wills. "I'm as powerful as you," Chanel tells Stravinsky. "You're not an artist, you're a shopkeeper," he replies. It's an inviting question. How do you compare such disparate talents? How do you compare smell with sound?"

Anthony Quinn in The Independent also gave it three stars: "This Coco is more austere and ruthless than Tautou's gamine waif, and the film itself is a more considered, textured portrait. One of the best things here is a coda that finds both principals alone in old age (they died within months of one another in 1971), contemplating mementoes of their liaison – whatever it was – half a century before."

Rotten Tomatoes UK gave it an overall rating of 51%

Metacritic gave it an overall rating of 56%

22 Bullets - well I really enjoyed it anyway

French writer, director and actor Richard Berry has based 22 Bullets loosely on the story of Marseille mafia boss Jacky Imbert who was shot 22 times and survived albeit having lost the feeling in his right hand.

Berry constructed the story around this incident, Jacky becomes Charly Mattei, played by the wonderful Jean Leno, who is gunned down after retiring from the business. His past having caught up with him and despite not being able to use his right hand he sets about enacting revenge on his would-be assassin's. 

Yes 22 Bullets is violent to the point of having to look away a couple of times and there are some cliched gangster movie motives such as Charly's love of opera but underneath that it is a character piece about  childhood friends whose life's philosophies are based on two fundamentally different premises.

Charly and Tony Zacchia (Kad Merad) who is now the Mafia-chief about Marseille town had sworn to stick together through life and death but while Charly believes he can gain some sort of redemption from turning his back on his former life and living quietly and modestly with his family and a young son Anatole (a great performance from Max Baissette De Malglaive), Zacchia believes that blood on the hands can never be washed off and all evil deeds are therefore equal.

By giving the characters history and lives with families and responsibilities outside the crimeworld, Berry has given this gangster flick more depth and dare I say it a bit of soul. That isn't to say that it isn't a taut edge of your seat suspense thriller because it is that too although I know the mix hasn't sat too well with some reviewers (see below).

Great film, I really enjoyed it.

Professional reviews:

Interesting that the Herald mentions A Prophet and Mesrine, the latter I really enjoyed but the former I didn't quite feel lived up to the hype:

EmpireOnline gave it just two stars concluding: "Despite being based on a true-life Marseilles gangland story and a towering Reno turn, Richard Berry's thriller is an uneven stew of character development, violence and sub-Top Gear car chases. Disappointing."

HeraldScotland gave it three stars: Set beside French game changers such as A Prophet and the Mesrine duo, it can at times feel as dated as an old Johnny Hallyday track.

Getting to know Gainsbourg

Must admit that I knew more about Serge Gainsbourg's daughter Charlotte than the French singer/songwriter himself but the trailer of the eponymous film looked intriguing.

Gainsbourg from what the film tells us grew up during the war, was a precocious child with a talent for the piano and drawing and he had a vivid imagination. He was also a bit of a charmer, particular with the ladies, a skill that he was to put to good use later in life.

He realised early on that he was never going to be a looker and it is his self-deprecating manner in this regard which seems at the root of his charm. He invents an uglier alter ego, represented in the film by a gangly man with Tim Burton-style long spidery fingers and enormous head with a sharp nose and large ears reminiscent of the Count in Sesame Street.

This alter ego leads him into trouble but ultimately onto the path to fame and fortune, 'making him' abandon his chosen career as an artist to pursue music from which he carves and long and illustrious career.

The narrative is a told through a series of key events in his life most of which revolve around his string of beautiful and sometimes famous lovers and wives.

All White Material

First of two cinema trips today and yet another French film (how many is that this year????). This one by writer/director Claire Denis is set in an unnamed French speaking African country with an escalating civil war. White French woman Maria (Isabelle Huppert) runs a coffee plantation with her ex husband (Christophe Lambert) and teenage son (Nicholas Duvauchelle).

Ignoring constant warnings to cut her losses and leave as the fighting moves ever closer, Maria is determined to stay and bring in the harvest. Her workers are fleeing, fuel is running out and her son won't get out of bed but still she soldiers on in a seemingly blind stubbornness.

She labours in the dirt and dust with a steely determinism working like a Trojan until she falls asleep on a bench on the porch. But her love of the country of her birth is evident throughout from the motorcycle ride across the plantation with head thrown back enjoying the sun to feeling the breeze in her lose hair.

And here is one of the few clues to her pig-headedness which grows increasingly uncomfortable to watch as the atrocities and danger of conflict creep ever closer. The country Maria loves is rejecting her but it is here she feels like somebody.