Olivier Sitruk
- 2008
Raised in a Catholic orphanage in provincial France, young Coco Chanel never imagined that her life would one day become an epic story worthy of a Lifetime original movie, full of passionate romance, and trailblazing pioneering in the world of fashion. The movie opens on 1950's Paris, as a 70 year old Coco (Shirley MacClaine), now a household name, is embarking on the second wave of her career with her first new collection in over a decade. Soon, a series of flashbacks illustrate how she got to be where she is today, both personally and professionally. Young Coco (played by Barbora Babulova) is seen working tirelessly as a seamstress, showing a unique talent for making garments more flattering and convenient despite her lowly position. Pursued by a rich man named Étienne, she soon leaves the thankless job for the comfort of life as a kept woman, but class differences eventually tear them apart. The relationship gives Coco the chance to perfect her skill as a hatmaker, however, and she leaves Etienne to open her own shop. A new romance with an Englishman named Arthur (known affectionately as "Boy") soon blossoms, and proves to be the greatest happiness and greatest tragedy of her life - but will the effects of this epic tale of love, war, and betrayal eventually prevent the burgeoning fashion maverick from fulfilling her true potential? ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Barbora Bobulova, (more)
An actor who lands the role of his life is forced into an even greater real-life acting challenge in this comedy drama from France. Maurice Kurtz (Stéphane Freiss) is an actor who is passionately in love with his wife, Perla (Bérénice Bejo), and wishes he could provide a better life for her. Maurice and his friends Simon (Lionel Abelanski), Sami (Olivier Sitruk), and Edouard (Stéphan Guérin-Tillié) work for a company that dubs American films into French when they're not looking for acting work, and when they learn that famous American filmmaker Grichenberg (Peter Coyote) is coming to Paris to shoot a Yiddish-language version of The Merchant of Venice, they all show up at a "cattle call" audition hoping to land bit parts. To his great surprise, Maurice's reading wins him the leading role of Shylock, and he quickly passes the good news along to Perla. As it happens, Perla needs some good news -- she's just been diagnosed with cancer, and her doctor tells her she's not long for the world. Maurice is comforted by the fact that his good fortune is lifting Perla's spirits, so when Grichenberg recasts him a few days later with a major American star, Maurice and his buddies devise a variety of scams to convince Perla that her husband is still making the movie that will make him famous. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stéphane Freiss, Bérénice Bejo, (more)
When the gay roommate and best friend of a commitment-phobic radio show hosts learns that his womanizing roommate is planning to settle down, he does everything in his power to sabotage the wedding plans and win the unassuming roommate for himself in this comedy that proves love can come from the most unexpected of places. While Dan spends his days hosting a sex-oriented radio show and bedding as many females as possible, his lovelorn roommate Laurent campaigns for gay marriage with the singular goal of ultimately winning Dan's hand in marriage. When Laurent discovers that Dan has finally found the woman of his dreams and is finally willing to take the plunge, he sets into motion a complex plan aimed at scaring Dan out of his plans and eventually converting him to homosexuality. As the wedding plans continue and Dan asks Laurent to be his best man, the heartbroken Laurent must summon the courage to let Dan know how he really feels or face the prospect of losing not only his best friend, but the man of his dreams as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Sitruk, Arnaud Giovaninetti, (more)
- 2002
Irene (Cecile de France) is a cute but klutzy thirtysomething who hasn't had a romantic relationship in four years. Tired of circumstantial celibacy, the paralegal consistently finds herself drawn to unavailable men, particularly her co-worker Luca (Olivier Sitruk). Her friends, all passionately single, offer no support to Irene's plight. Meanwhile, Francois (Bruno Putzulu), an easygoing handyman Irene had hired to paint her apartment, turns out to be her perfect match. Though it looks like Irene may be too wrapped up in translating the signals sent to her from various male co-workers to notice Francois, she eventually comes to see what has been in front of her all along. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cécile De France, Bruno Putzulu, (more)
Daniel Calparsoro's Guerreros is set in the Balkans in the wake of the ethnic conflict between the Serbs and the Kosovo Albanians that prompted NATO military intervention in 1999. A group of young Spanish army engineers is stationed in a Kosovo village to help the Albanians recover from the war's devastation. The unit is sent on a mission to restore electricity to a small town in hostile territory, but their operation is derailed when they get caught up in the fighting between Serb and Albanian paramilitaries. Struggling to stay neutral, the peacekeepers find themselves fighting for survival as they scamper around the Balkan countryside searching for a way back to headquarters. Their descent into the quagmire of ethnic fighting tests the limits of their idealism and underscores the moral complexities posed by humanitarian intervention. This polished actioner screened at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eloy Azorín, Eduardo Noriega, (more)
- 2000
The chronicle of a young Kurdish couple's journey from Kurdistan to Paris, Passeurs de Reves opens with longtime sweethearts Dolovan (Olivier Sitruk) and Zara (Rosanna Vite Mesropian) fleeing from their Mesopotamian village, which has been ravaged by ethnic warfare. As they make their way across the frigid Caucasian Mountains, Zara's parents, who are traveling with the couple, succumb to the elements. Dolovan and Zara eventually make it to a run-down evacuee camp presided over by a friendly Kurdish "tsar," where Zara discovers that her deceased father's suitcase is filled with cash. Although this is ostensibly good news, the cash makes the couple vulnerable to smugglers, dodgy guides, and counterfeiters, all of whom are eager to take advantage of Dolovan and Zara's newfound wealth. To further complicate matters, although they have money, the couple lack necessary visas to continue their journey, and soon Dolovan is taken away by the police. Abandoned in the Ukraine, Zara is robbed and then disappears, while Dolovan, traveling solo, eventually makes it to Paris to reunite with his love. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Sitruk
- 1997
The premise of four young men out to celebrate the end of their school exams has great promise as comedy material, a promise that is far from realized in this banal, unevenly paced, run-of-the-mill attempt at a supposedly funny story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Brocheriou, Stéphan Guérin-Tillié, (more)
This drama examines three amoral young people living in Paris. 18-year-old Nathalie (Marie Gillain) works in a clothing store and dreams of opening her own boutique in the United States. She shares an apartment with her boyfriend Eric (Olivier Sitruk) and his slow-witted pal Bruno (Bruno Putzulu); she pays the rent while they stay home and watch crime movies on television. All three are looking for a fast and easy way to make some money, so together they devise a plan. Nathalie will hang out in nightclubs, meet prosperous-looking men, and go home with them. Once she's inside their apartments, she'll let in Eric and Bruno, and they'll rob the place of cash and valuables. The plan works well at first, before things go wrong one night and Eric commands Bruno to kill their victim. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Gillain, Olivier Sitruk, (more)
