Marc Citti Movies

A troubled and emotionally fragile woman finds herself at the center of a firestorm, in this gut-wrenching psychological drama from France. Screen veteran Isabelle Adjani (Les Soeurs Brontë, Ishtar) stars as Sonia Bergerac, an instructor at a school for "difficult" children. As if that role were not demanding enough, Sonia's husband suddenly and inexplicably leaves her, and she encounters considerable problems adjusting to her work environment. She thus finds herself careening toward a nervous breakdown, with seemingly no way to stop. Compounding matters is Sonia's decision to buck the principal's rule of no skirts for female teachers, a policy she resents. Sonia's world explodes into chaos one afternoon when she discovers a gun in one of her students' bags. Acting spontaneously and indignantly, she seizes it and fires an accidental shot, wounding one pupil's leg. The incident gets misread and draws untoward attention, and before long parents, politicians, law officers and the media surround the school and turn an unfortunate incident into a full-blown hostage crisis that may well push Sonia over the edge of sanity. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

In this off-beat French comedy-drama, a quirky band of classical musicians prepare to play at a nobleman's New Year's Eve gala. It was bass player Roberto (Pierre Lacan) who initially scored the gig. He then calls together his four long-time partners and a local clarinet player. They were hired to play chamber music and Viennese waltzes and to be directed by Roberto's former mentor, the famous conductor Svarowvski (Henri Garcin). The maestro will have his work cut out for him though, for the four players, while each fine musicians on their own, are of totally different temperaments and don't always work well together. Their flautist Therese (Marie-Christine Laurent) will be performing the night before she is scheduled to have her baby; cellist Lionel (Marc Citti) is a kleptomaniac; volatile and hypersensitive viola player Martial (Serge Renko) constantly raves about one issue or another; while 20-year-old violinist Diane (Clementine Benoit) suffers from an inferiority complex. Their clarinetist (Wilfred Benaiche) is devoted to his mother and brings with him a secret. Their aristocratic host (Philippe Clay) can't hear conversation, but still possesses an uncanny musical ear. Plucky Arab woman Fatiah (Sonia Mankai) attends him. Their ordeal begins on December 26 when the musicians gather at the nobleman's chateau to begin a long week of rehearsals. Les Cachetonneurs played at the 1998 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This French crime thriller was the directorial debut of screenwriter Jacques Audiard and won three Césars. Jean Yanne stars as Simon Hirsch, a bored, middle-aged salesman who accompanies his best friend, cop Mickey (Yvon Back), on a stakeout for the sake of excitement. When Mickey is shot and put into a coma, Simon sets aside his job and family in order to catch the would-be killers. In a parallel story that takes place a few years earlier, a thug and gambler named Marx (Jean-Louis Trintignant) teaches a simple-minded youth named Johnny (Mathieu Kassovitz) the finer points of thug life, including shakedowns and professional hits. The paths of Marx and Johnny don't cross with that of Simon until the film's surprising climax. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Emma (Nathalie Baye) has been happily married to Charles (Didier Sandre), a hardworking journalist, for over ten years. They have a son, and are considering having another child when she learns that she is both pregnant and HIV-positive at a time when Charles is away. As Emma has never used drugs or slept around, and has never had a blood transfusion, there can only be one source for her infection: her absent husband. Shocked to the core by this turn of events, she goes through his things and finds an address book with the names of many women in it. Determined to discover what has been going on, she begins contacting every name in the book. She continues her investigations even after her husband, whom she confronts over this, returns. While this film never comes across as an instructional piece, it was co-written by an AIDS specialist. It is also significant because is marks the final movie performance of Louis Ducreux (as the grandfather) after more than fifty years in the business. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Nine women gather in a seaside home to discuss life, love, and the search for men in this routine comedy. The hostess leaves after her boyfriend calls her up, and one of the others picks up an American tourist at a local bar. She confiscates his passport to keep him for her temporary boytoy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Noted stage director Patrice Chereau adds his stylistic flair to this drama loosely taken from a story by Anton Chekhov. A French family is shown as they go through the daily routines of life. Arguing, feasting, crying, and yearning for love are just some of the human emotions encountered. The mood wavers between excessive noise to silence while those not participating in the conversations listen in. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi