By Roger Costa
Presented by Film Society of Lincoln Center and Unifrance, the annual Rendez-Vous with French Cinema festival will bring to New York audiences a varied range of genres from thrillers to comedies, and from experimental works to accurate dramas, showcasing the diversity of contemporary French Cinema. Running March 8-18, here are seven exciting productions that carry similar elements of developing a personal, significant revolution, observing characters involved in definitive transformations.
AVA
Things go wrong for a teen girl during a Summer Vacation, as she finds out she’ll soon lose her sight. The already tumultuous relationship with her single mother intensifies, as both gradually become infatuated with each other. Stubborn and disoriented, she starts preparing for her future impairment, at the same time she’s dealing with her current process of stepping into maturity. She meets a refugee, delinquent Gypsy-boy with whom she explores her intimate desires, and set foot on a dangerous road trip committing impulsive crimes. Visually vibrant and infused with courageous messages of freedom and acceptance, Léa Mysius’s fascinating directorial debut is a dark coming-of-age tale, a contemplative and erotic portrait of young hormonal conflicts. Winner of the SACD Best Feature Award in Cannes, it’s an accomplished and promising first-time.
JEANNETTE
Prolific director Bruno Dumont’s latest fable is a Christian-debate musical with provocative songs, purely innocent numbers, and startling performances narrating the Childhood of Joan of Arc, wandering the lands as she questions God, Kings, nuns, locals and soldiers in search of relief for the agony of hunger, poverty and injustice. As she grows physically and revolutionary-skilled, she gets ready to fight for her country and evaluates encounters with faith, hope and encouragement. Dumont crafts an inventive, magical modern rock-musical about the iconic historical figure’s first steps into revolution.
THE WORKSHOP
Oscar nominee Laurent Cantet returns to the atmosphere of classmate/sharing ideas of his highly praised “The Class” with this subtly erotic, ambiguous and intense analysis on societal standards in conflict with modernism. Co-written by Robin Campillo, it focuses on a group of writers working on a project under the command of a renowned novelist. Eventually, their ideals and perspectives collide, getting into personal dimensions, while the process reflects on their unbalanced emotions. A young, vulnerable student becomes attached to the teacher, initiating a complicated connection. Beautifully observed, superbly acted and structured with unpredictable dramatic twists, Cantet conceived an incendiary portrait of ego and identity crisis.
MONTPARNASSE BIENVENUE
Highly awarded actress Laetitia Dosch gives an utterly captivating turn as 31-year old Paula, a woman struggling to re-construct her life after enduring an abusive relationship for several years. Building her character with natural charisma and mysterious complexity, she brilliantly creates a familiar figure, someone who could be right next to you. She tries many things to keep herself busy while crossing paths with unintentional helpers. Winner of the Golden Camera Award in Cannes, Léonor Serraille’s first directorial effort is a freshly smart, sensitive, cheerful examination on feminine resistance and the power of overcoming the fear of restarting from scratch.
CUSTODY
After getting an Oscar nod for his Short Film debut “Just Before Losing Everything”, Xavier Legrand returns with his first feature film, a disturbingly convincing and intense drama looking at a problematic separation and how it affects the children. Consumed by jealousy and uneasiness, the aggressive father tries in vain to reconcile, only to make things worse and out of control, putting everyone at edgy circumstances. Thrilling and shocking, Legrand crafts the material with impressive mastery, no wonder he took the Silver Lion Best Director Prize at Venice Film Festival.
BEFORE SUMMER ENDS
Three Iranian friends embark on a road trip through the gorgeous French countryside, making final arrangements before one of them departs for an important exam. Capturing the natural beauty of landscapes, places and people, with vibrant soundtrack, this doc-style organic feature is a funny, uplifting and contemplative look on the philosophies of living, human interactions, immigration, friendship, parents, and education, all based on aspects of a cultural clash. Awarded as an Emerging Talent at both London and Zurich Film Festivals, director Maryam Goormaghtigh composes a personal and innovative canvas on preserving roots and origins.
WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS
Eugène Green’s elegant follow-up to his acclaimed duo “La Sapienza” and “The Son of Joseph” is an experimental project that became a motion picture. He gathers beautiful philosophical encounters between young people hiding in a castle. As they enter, they are requested to abandon all their communication/technology devices, being unable to any news from the outside. They share personal understandings on Family, love, desire, passion, corruption and dignity, creating a parable on Modern Social values and perspectives on the human condition.
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