Jean-Quentin Chatelain Movies

A self-absorbed adolescent girl forms an unhealthy fixation on a handsome volunteer fireman in director Claire Simon's emotional teen drama. Livia (Camille Varene) is a fifteen year-old girl who lives in the south of France with her divorced mother. As the summer heat begins to radiate Livia spends most of her days trotting around the small Provençal town atop a horse from her father's farm. A frequent target of ridicule amongst her peers, Livia's horse emboldens her with a sense of superiority that she just can't seem to achieve in the classroom. When her father comes to claim the horse and Livia is forced to face her tormentors eye to eye, she begins to turn her attentions increasingly towards happily married husband and father Jean. A kind volunteer fireman who treats Livia with a respect rarely afforded to the girl by her peers, Jean may be old enough to be Livia's father though a strange attraction begins to develop between the pair. Later, as the young girl's infatuation with the firefighter begins to grow and she casts aside her inhibitions to pursue him romantically at any cost, the relationship shared between Livia and Jean threatens to take a tragic turn. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The son of actor Bernard Blier, director Bertrand Blier is known throughout France for his documentaries and dark depictions of sex and its impact on society. Though his influences and personal opinions clearly shine through, Les Acteurs is a satirical take on the ups, downs, and numerous implications of life in showbiz as told by a variety of real-life French actors. Among the featured cast are André Dussollier, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Jacques Villeret, Claude Rich, and Pierre Arditi, all of whom play themselves. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Taking a droll look at modern love, this complex, dark comedy centers on the relationships between Parisian doctor Annie Simonin and two very different male patients. Thirty-four years old and divorced, she has just been temporarily abandoned by her vacationing receptionist and doesn't quite know what to do with herself. At a dinner party she meets egocentric actor Richard Piotr who is starring in a dreadful experimental version of Richard III. She accepts his invitation for a drink after the party and he spends most of their time discussing the idiosyncrasies of his last girlfriend. Annie is not blind to Richard's glaring faults, but still finds him interesting. A bit of a hypochondriac, he makes an appointment to see her professionally so that he can get a check-up and a flu shot, even though it is not flu season. Soon they are mixing business with pleasure in her office. As it is the slow season for doctors, Annie has only one other regular patient, Laurent Blondel. A former drug addict, he is coping with AIDS by refusing to allow her to treat him. As time passes, Richard shows symptoms of something far more disturbing than hypochondria and Laurent's cavalier attitude towards his deadly disease causes problems for Annie. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Six years before this story begins, Rosemonde killed a would-be rapist. She was acquitted and returned to working part-time in a Geneva bar. Back in the present, a brand new television station seeks to create a television film about Rosemonde's life. The project is helmed by independent producer Kevin assigns his screen-writing pal Paul to interview Rosemonde and use it for the basis of a fictionalized teleplay. Unfortuantely for him, the taciturn and cynical barmaid wants nothing to do with project and refuses to speak to Paul. This satirical French-Swiss drama follows Paul as he simultaneously attempts to get her story and into her bed. Since Rosemonde refuses to speak to him, Paul decides to pay his ex-lover Marie, a serious stage actress, become the bar maid's friend. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Without any plot to speak of, and no sequential, dramatic events, this film about young women who dress up as men and fight off the installation of new metal forges in their region in 1830 starts dragging quickly. The French peasants scare off a judge in the opening segment of the film, and at the end, when the judge finally gives up and leaves, it is hard to understand why. One part of the problem is a lack of action, the other is that the villagers speak Provençal and this has to be translated to the judge and by the time all the double talk has been completed, the industrial revolution hardly seems like big news anymore. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi