Paul Blain Movies

Separated from her biological father for more than a decade, a teenage girl living with her mother in Paris sets out to reconnect with her wayward dad in director Mia Hansen-Løve's sincere family drama. Years ago, Victor and Annette spent an idyllic spring in Venice with their beloved daughter, Pamela. Though Victor would frequently neglect his work in favor of frolicking with Pamela outdoors, visiting Annette's parents, and hanging out in the park with local drug dealers during those picturesque days, lovelorn Annette remained convinced that her husband would become more responsible when her family returned to Paris. Old habits die hard, though, and soon after returning home, Victor and Annette have a monumental blowout. In the aftermath, Victor moves in with a junkie he has fallen in love with and Annette disappears into the city with Pamela. Flash-forward 11 years later, and 17-year-old Pamela is still living in Paris with her mother. When an inquiry into father's whereabouts reveals that Victor is living nearby, curious Pamela decides to check in on her long-lost dad. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Ainsi soit-il (So Be It) by French filmmaker Gerard Blain is a crime and punishment story. Georges Vasseur, the legal director of a construction firm, is murdered. He leaves behind a file from which his son, Regis (Paul Blain), learns of the illegal activities of Jean-Marc Bertrand, the boss of the corporation. Georges also mentions in a letter that he has been threatened. Regis, who had a great admiration for his father, draws the conclusion that Bertrand must have hired someone to kill Georges. Instead of going to the police, Regis asks to be employed by the firm to carry out a discreet inquiry. He goes ahead with his private vengeance once he is sure of the suspect's guilt. After giving himself up to the police, he is tried and convicted, but the jury decides that it was a 'crime of love.' Gerard Blain made a name for himself as the James Dean of Paris during the New Wave period, and he won a Golden Leopard at the 1971 Locarno International Film Festival for his first feature, Les Amis. In 1999, the same festival awarded him a second Golden Leopard for lifetime achievement and screened Ainsi soit-il in the Out of Competition section. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Unrequited and unhappy love is one of the themes of this romantic drama. In the story, Suzanne (Sandrine Bonnaire) has had an affair which so traumatized her that she is out of the running, romantically. Perhaps that is why she is roommates with her gay best friend, Marc (Marc Fourastier). However, just because one isn't going out on dates doesn't mean never seeing or being seen by anyone, and, one day while swimming in a public pool, Suzanne is caught by surprise by a lovely young man. Her new acquaintance, Lucien (Paul Blain), begins to spend time with her and Marc. Romance blooms among the threesome: Marc falls in love with Lucien, but he is unlucky in that: Lucien and Suzanne have become lovers. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In a drama in which even God has a role (Philippe Leotard) as well as Michael York, it is certain that serious issues are at stake. Set during the time before the state of Israel was created and established, a British officer has been captured by a band of Jewish resistance fighters with the intent of killing him at dawn. One of the Jews was sentenced to die after being captured by the English, and this death will be in retaliation. The trouble is that a young and ambivalent fighter is left holding the officer captive with orders to shoot him at the pre-arranged time. It is a long night of soul-searching before the Jewish soldier comes up with a solution to his quandary. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide