Ludmila Mikael Movies

A young sound engineer whose mother has recently been murdered uses her expertise in audio to launch her own investigation into the case, only to find that the sounds of the past could prove key to solving a mystery of the present in director Alanté Kavaïté's poetic thriller. Charlotte's mother has been mysteriously murdered, but the grieving daughter isn't about to let the investigations stall due to the simple incompetence of the local police force. When Charlotte travels back to the house that her mother lived in at the time of the murder and makes an audio recording that seems to be of supernatural origins, the surreal events that follow lead the once-skeptical girl down a darkened path that threatens to consume her own soul with each new terrifying revelation. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A handful of men who are standing in the shady side of 50 depend on one another to sort out the romantic and personal complications facing them in this comedy from France. Manu (Jean-Pierre Darroussin), Antoine (Bernard Campan), Alex (Marc Lavoine), and Jeff (Gérard Darmon) are four close friends who've known each other for years, and lately seem to be spending a lot of time helping one another with women and midlife crises. Manu, who runs a delicatessen, is single, with two ex-wives and three grown children to his credit; lately, he's been dating Juliette (Florence Thomassin), who is young and beautiful, but not especially bright. Antoine is a school teacher who, for the past 15 years, has been married to Lili (Fabienne Babe); however, when he learns that she had a brief fling with another man, he's not certain he'll ever be able to forgive her. Magazine publisher Alex constantly pledges his fidelity to his wife, Nanou (Catherine Wilkening), when in fact he's been chronically unfaithful for years, though Nanou (to her frustration) has been unable to prove it. And Jeff, Alex's business partner, has been divorced from his first wife, Françoise (Ludmila Mikael), for over a decade; lately, he's been keeping company with Elsa (Zoé Félix), a lovely and loving woman who happens to be half his age. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Julie Lopes-Curval's debut feature, Seaside, closely observes the lives of about a dozen citizens in a small French village. Paul (Jonathan Zaccai) works as a lifeguard. His sister is employed at the local casino, a building frequented by their mother, Rose (Bulle Ogier). Rose is retired from a factory that currently employs Paul's significant other, Marie (Helene Fillieres), and is lorded over by Albert (Patrick Lizana), the fourth generation of his family to run the business. Over the course of one year, the lives and fortunes of these people intertwine and change in major and minor ways. Seaside was screened at the Director's Fortnight during the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

After World War II, due to a longstanding prior agreement among the victorious Allies, displaced citizens of the various countries were returned to their homeland of origin whether or not they wanted to be. There were almost no exceptions to this rule. As a result, several million anti-communist citizens of Eastern Bloc nations were handed over to the not-so tender mercies of their native countries, now under communist rule. Only one nation in all of Europe failed to honor this agreement: the tiny Duchy of Luxembourg. The story of this film is based on a true incident, and the furor it caused. In 1945, the Russian general (Malcom McDowell) of a small detachment of five hundred Eastern Bloc soldiers who fought on the Axis (German) side, led them into the (neutral) Duchy, which had an announced policy of granting asylum. These refugees were swifly assimilated into the everyday life of the country and, despite enormous pressure from the great military powers of the day (particularly Russia), Luxembourg refused to relinquish them to almost certain death. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Long before America was mired in an unwinnable conflict in Vietnam, the French had spent decades in an attempt to hold onto their Indochinese colonies, which included Vietnam. By the early 1950s, several generations of dedicated, independence-minded Vietnamese had fought the French to a standstill. This long conflict culminated in a battle along the Laotian border near the town of Dien Bien Phu in March, 1954, which the French narrowly lost. That loss led to a negotiated settlement and the partition of Vietnam. Broken promises and French stubbornness resulted in continued conflict in South Vietnam and the eventual involvement of the Americans. In this film, the wider human face of that 1954 conflict is seen through the eyes of an American reporter, played by Donald Pleasence, as he travels through Vietnam researching the story. In particular, it follows the fate of one group of soldiers, members of the French Foreign Legion, whom the reporter meets at a bar in Hanoi. It is a remarkable testament to political changes in the world that this French movie was filmed in Vietnam with the cooperation of the Vietnamese government. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The French/Swiss Natalia is set in France during the Nazi occupation. A Jewish film actress (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) successfully obscures her heritage, rising to the top of her profession. Some uncomfortable moments transpire when she is courted by several high-ranking German officials. The film takes it time making its points, but the quality of the acting overcomes the slow spots. Writer/director Bernard Cohn had previously worked as assistant to such cinematic heavyweights as Buñuel and Truffaut. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fush (Claude Brasseur) and Ballestrat (Claude Rich) are the rival police detectives who head different departments trying to capture a notorious gangster in this crime thriller. Both are not above using underhanded and illegal means to attain their goals. Marie (Marlene Jobert) a the female cop in Ballestrat's department who adds to the tension by having an affair with Fush. When an ambush attempt goes wrong, Fush puts his life in danger by confronting the gangster whose criminal activities sparked the intense manhunt. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this French tour-de-force a young student (Jacques Speisser) decides to have no more interaction with the world than is needed to minimally sustain life. His increasingly automaton-like behavior is coupled with a strange clarity of insight about the world around him. His inner musings as he wanders the luminous streets of Paris are narrated in the form of an unwritten diary by Ludmila Mikael. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Director Christian De Chalonge uses a docudrama-styled approach to tell the lonely story of Portugese workers in France. In hopes of avoiding the Army, a boy leaves Portugal bound for Paris to find a job. He meets other Portugese upon his arrival but spends most of his time wandering the streets of Paris when his friend cannot be found. The tedium of the feature overshadows the good intent to bring attention to the plight of immigrant workers struggling to survive in a new country. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi