From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban ruled over Afghanistan with an iron fist. During this time, many basic human freedoms were curtailed and public executions became common place. All are highlighted in The Swallows of Kabul, a remarkable portrait of life under Sharia law. Specifically, we are in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in the summer…
If you’ve ever seen Karel Reisz’s superb The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981); or Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), you may find something familiar in Nicolas Bedos’ La Belle Époque. This brilliantly conceived drama of love and loss is inventive, poignant and compelling. Bedos is an actor who’s turned to directing. That…
A disturbing and unsettling drama about madness, toxic masculinity and unhealthy obsession, Deerskin (aka Le Daim) is the latest film from French electronic musician turned filmmaker Quentin Dupieux. His absurdist films have always done well on the festival circuit, and this oddball drama again explores some of his usual themes. Georges (played by Oscar winner…
Juliette Binoche, Vincent Cassel, Yvan Attal, SMarion Cotillard and the incomparable Catherine Deneuve are just some of the big names Australian audiences will be able to see on screen at the 31st French Film Festival. Covering 8 cities and 4 satellite locations, the Festival kicks off on 10 March (running until 19 April ) with…
François Ozon is one of France’s leading filmmakers. His movies typically involve characters caught up in circumstances beyond their control, and often feature a clever twist (see, for example, his early Swimming Pool; or his more recent In the House). In By the Grace of God, Ozon strays from his usual style and into an…
Have you ever faked it? In the intriguing psychological thriller Who You Think I Am, a middle-aged woman creates a fake Facebook profile to lure a much younger man. He’s on the hook, and she’s besotted, but the pair never meet. She is teacher Claire Millaud (Juliette Binoche), who assumes the name of Clara. She…
The Trouble with You is an absurdist French comedy that’s both clever and silly. I didn’t know whether to delight in its eccentricities or howl at its stupidity, so I flipped from one to the other and back again. Let’s be clear on one thing – the plot is ridiculous. Detective Yvonne Santi (Adèle Haenel)…
French gonzo-synth punks and intergalactic scuzzball house band, The Scaners have quickly returned with album number II after their debut came out just last year. The band does not do much to shake up their planetary assault on these new 12 tracks and that is perfectly fine because they offer a solid slice of punk…
The French comedy/drama Normandy Nude tells of a town of struggling farmers who prepare to pose nude for a photo shoot. If this brief synopsis makes it seem like a Gallic variation on both The Full Monty and Calendar Girls, you wouldn’t be far off the mark. The film is set in a small farming community….
