Nathalie Boutefeu Movies

Informed that his elderly father has mysteriously disappeared, anxious Parisian François (Mathieu Amalric) recalls his tragic family history in director Claude Miller's adaptation of the fact-based novel by author Philippe Grimbert. As a sickly young child, François (Valentin Vigourt) instinctively knew that he was a disappointment to his champion swimmer mother, Tania (Cécile De France), and gymnast father, Maxime (Patrick Bruel). While François does find some amount of solace in his friendship with kindly masseuse Louise (Julie Depardieu), his discovery of a strange toy in the attic causes his parents to act more strangely toward him than ever before. Feeling sympathetic toward the young boy, Louise eventually reveals to François that he once had a half brother, and that his parents weren't drawn together by fairy-tale romance but through violence and strife. Back before the war, Maxime became engaged to the beautiful Hannah (Ludivine Sagnier). While Hannah's parent's were keenly aware of the ominous implications of Hitler's rise to power, Maxime worried little since he always considered himself French first and foremost. At the wedding, however, Maxime finds his gaze frequently wandering from his fetching bride to athletic beauty Tania. Later, after the happily married bride gives birth to a handsome young boy named Simon (Orlando Nicoletti), the Nazis invade and the once-happy family is torn violently asunder. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Patrice Chéreau, who directed the controversial Intimacy, returns with another story of a human relationship under difficult circumstances. Thomas (Bruno Todeschini) has been estranged from his brother Luc (Eric Caravaca) for several years, due in part to Thomas' difficulties in dealing with Luc's homosexuality. But when Thomas is diagnosed with a rare blood disease, which is difficult to treat and impossible to cure, he decides he wants to bring Luc back into his life. The brothers soon become inseparable, with Luc constantly at Thomas' side as he vainly struggles against the disease and confronts the indignity of treatment. As Thomas and Luc become closer, their new relationship begins to alienate their significant others, and Thomas' father (Fred Ulysse) cannot understand why his son doesn't fight against his illness with great vehemence. Director Chéreau's work on Son Frère earned him the Silver Bear at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A death in the family brings a man back to his family and his hometown in this drama. After his brother Alex (David Recha) goes missing under hazy circumstances, Pau (David Selvas) gets the bad news that Alex has died after a successful suicide attempt. Pau travels to the village in Spain's Pyrenees mountains where he was born to break the sad news to his mother Merce (Alicia Oroxco); hoping to spare her feelings at a difficult time, he tells her that Alex was killed in an auto accident. As Merce mourns the death of her son, she and Pau set out to find Alex's friends and acquaintances and tell them of his sad fate. In their travels, they encounter Sara (Marieta Orozco), Alex's girlfriend, who planned to move away to the city with him; Emil (Luis Hostalot), an engineer who will be putting a highway through the town; Marta (Nathalie Boutefeu), Emil's daughter; and Toni (Juan Marquez), one of Emil's co-workers. Circumstances bring Pau and Marta together again when Emil disappears, and Marta finds herself searching for her father. Pau I El Seu Germa was the second feature from director Marc Recha, who won international acclaim with his debut, El Arbol De Las Cerezas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Rien sur Robert is a smart comedy about a man haunted by his experiences. Didier Temple (Fabrice Luchini) is a journalist who writes an article about a Bosnian film he had never seen, calling it "pure fascist propaganda." (The director, Pascal Bonitzer, was once the editor of the celebrated film magazine Cahiers du Cinema. However, this episode is not based on his own experiences, but on an incident some years ago regarding Underground by Emir Kusturica, which was declared a fascist movie by the French daily, Le Monde.) Following an argument with his girlfriend, Juliette (Sandrine Kiberlain), Didier's life falls apart. He is convinced he is being followed by a dark haired man. He thinks everyone is looking at him, just waiting to insult him. He fights with his family. Juliette is fed up and leaves him for another man, a TV director she meets in a park. At a dinner party, Didier is introduced to his shadow, Jerome Sauveur (Laurent Lucas), who could be his double except that he's more handsome and writes better. Didier also encounters a strange young girl, Aurelie (Valentina Cervi), but Juliette soon comes back. All these ghosts of his life keep haunting him, and he finally winds up at the foot of Mont Blanc in rather unpleasant circumstances. Rien sur Robert was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th Berlin International Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Written and directed by Olivier Assayas, Irma Vep tells the story of has-been French filmmaker René Vidal (Jean-Pierre Léaud). In an attempt to reinvigorate his career, Vidal decides to remake Les Vampires, the classic silent serial featuring the adventures of jewel thief Irma Vep. Playing herself, actress Maggie Cheung is cast as the lead, joining Vidal on a chaotic set where he gets little respect from the rest of the cast and crew. Speaking no French, Cheung finds herself fending off the advances of lesbian costumer Zoé (Nathalie Richard), sticking up for Vidal, and becoming so immersed in her role that she burgles the guests of her hotel while in costume. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Tina (Sophie Aubry) is an unpleasant young woman with an unpleasantly supine mother and an unpleasantly futureless boyfriend. Even for someone whose range of facial expressions consists of mild-to-moderate sulking, this is too much, and she decides to look up the father she has never known. Along the way, she discovers that she has a half sister whom she has never met, a girl involved in an intense, abusive relationship with a married man: her father's lawyer. Tina eventually meets up with her father and discovers, naturally enough, that he is not a particularly nice man and furthermore wants nothing whatever to do with her. Somehow all these new people in Tina's life continue to be involved with each other, despite the resounding lack of joy they seem to feel in each other's company. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide