Patrick Catalifo Movies
- 2006
Isabelle Czajka's drama The Year After concerns a 15-year-old girl named Manu. Still mourning the death of her father, a man whose strong belief system shaped the girl's world view, Manu begins a tumultuous school year that includes a romantic attraction to a teacher, new friends, and the discovery her mother's secret love affair. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ariane Ascaride, Anaïs Demoustier, (more)
- 2003
French filmmaker Emilie Deleuze directs the psychological drama Mister V. Research scientist Lucas (Mathieu Demy) is an uptight man who studies the movement of horses. His crooked brother Luigi (Patrick Catalifo) buys a stallion named Mister V. as part of an insurance scam, but the horse ends up killing him. While the stable hand wants to have the horse put down, Lucas shows up to train the horse himself, even though he's actually afraid of horses. In the process, he also warms to his widowed sister-in-law Cecile (Aure Atika). Mister V. was shown at the 2003 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mathieu Demy, Aure Atika, (more)
- 2000
Married for five years, Gerard (Patrick Catalifo) and Helene (Dominique Blanc) are at Paris' Orly South airport, where they are planning to take a flight to Buenos Aires to begin a new life in Argentina. However, at the last minute, Gerard informs Helene that he is ending their relationship, and departs for Argentina alone. Helene, distraught, decides to stay at the airport, which has showers and restaurants. When her money eventually runs out, Helene takes a proposition for sex by an older physician (Gamil Ratib) and thus embarks on a new profession as a prostitute. She also becomes stronger and more self-assured, and starts to befriend a number of airport workers, including a stewardess who regularly flies to Buenos Aires and promises to post letters to Helene's family in France. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dominique Blanc, Roschdy Zem, (more)
- 1999
- NR
This is a comedy about homosexuals, transvestites, and taboos. The main character is a young woman from the provinces whose gay father lives in Paris. She decides to dress like a man to understand social prejudice. The director, who plays the main character, wrote the script with her sister. Their joint efforts draw an insightful portrait of life's lies, hypocrisies, and illusions. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valérie Lemercier, Claude Rich, (more)
- 1997
The neologistic title of this film translates as "Death Bureau," a secret vigilante organization used by ordinary working folk to rid the city of criminals through secret executions. Woodworker Leo Stoychev (Maurice Bennichou) goes to the organization for help because his boss Branco (Herve Briaux) won't repay a loan and may have had something to do with the accident that crippled Leo. The Mordburo is responsible for the death of a crooked lawyer, and Inspector Raoul (Patrick Catalifo) becomes suspicious. This French-Belgian-Bulgarian-Italian co-production was filmed amid the industrial backdrops of Sofia. Lionel Kopp, the co-founder of the special effects house Les Trois Lumieres, made his directorial debut with this film. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ornella Muti, Philippe Clevenot, (more)
- 1997
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Balibar, Jean-Quentin Chatelain, (more)
- 1996
In this dark and dramatic French crime thriller, a betrayal turns a life-long friendship into a deadly game. Up until they botched the sale of a stolen artwork, Mario, a Frenchman, and Mouss, an African, were the closest of pals and had been together since infancy. During the sale, Mouss inadvertently slays the buyer. He flees the building and Mario returns to the scene to erase the evidence. Unfortunately, he gets caught and sent to jail while Mouss does nothing to help his friend. Twenty years pass and while in prison, Mario plots his murderous vengeance. As soon as he is finally released, he sets off to kill the treacherous Mouss. His every move is followed by a strange young black man who turns out to be Thomas. Thomas claims to be Mario's son and sets about trying to ingratiate himself with the hardened ex-con. Meanwhile Mouss ignores his girl friend's advice and refuses to beg for Mario's forgiveness. Instead he goes off to meet his former friend as an enemy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Monsieur Charme (Michel Bouquet) is an old man, and the love of his life passed away some years ago. Despite being wealthy and in relatively good health, he finds that life without her is no longer supportable. Determined to end it all, he approaches Reine (Gwennola Bothorel), a home-care nurse known for her willingness to bend the rules, and asks her if, in return for receiving his apartment, she will kill him. She readily agrees, and now the fun in this black comedy can begin. It seems that the old man has a nephew (Patrick Catalifo) who is determined to thwart this scheme at all costs. A battle royal is joined between the ingenuity of the nurse and her willing victim, and the determination of his equally ingenious nephew. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Bouquet, Patrick Catalifo, (more)
- 1992
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Pleasence, Patrick Catalifo, (more)
- 1989
In this straightforward drama, Marie (Emmanuelle Beart) is a prisoner at the time she sees a performance by a theatrical troupe. After the show, she goes up to speak to one of the players, and this leads (without her knowledge) to her being chosen to participate in a special program. It seems that the troupe is a special halfway house for "reformable" prisoners, and Marie is to be paroled to them. Streetwise and tough, the former prostitute and addict Marie at first resists this high-minded program, but eventually discovers that it works for her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emmanuelle Béart, Robert Hossein, (more)
- 1988
This "policier" was co-written by producer and star Alain Delon with director Jose Pinheiro. It tells the story of a group of right-wing cops have begun carrying out vigilante justice on drug dealers and other crime figures who might otherwise avoid punishment for their misdeeds. Police inspector Grindel (Delon) understands the feelings which motivate these deeds, but does not approve. However, he is not highly motivated to put an end to the group's activities until it begins to appear that they are now attacking fellow cops for reasons which are unclear. Grindel sets to work to uncover the culprits, and in a climactic scene, confronts his colleague Scatti (Michel Serrault). Delon, a familiar figure in French cinema, has a great many films to his credit not only as an actor, but as a producer, director and screenwriter. This film marks his return to the screen as an actor after a three year absence. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Michel Serrault, (more)
- 1988
The title of Sand and Blood has led some to assume that this 1988 French film is a remake of the old warhorse Blood and Sand. In fact, the only thing the two properties have in common is a bullfighter as a protagonist. A sensitive matador (Patrick Catalifo) grows weary of killing and tries to escape his chosen profession. He meets a young, musically inclined doctor (Sami Frey) who likewise despises bullfighting. The two form a warm and giving friendship, which threatens to rupture when a woman enters the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sami Frey, André Dussollier, (more)
