Serge Renko Movies
- 2008
A successful lawyer, Eloise's life would be complete if only she could find a successful relationship. She signs up for a speed dating program, and what follows is a bizarre and often funny experiment in what happens when seven men and seven women take off on a race to find a significant other. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elsa Zylberstein, Jacques Bonnaffé, (more)
An Alzheimer's-afflicted ex-policeman moves into a special needs residence - only to watch his life erupt into a waking nightmare - in Nicholas Boukhrief's tense psychological thriller Cortex (2008). During the golden years of his retirement, former police superintendent Charles Boyer (André Dussolier) opts to protect himself from the pitfalls of dementia by moving into The Residence, a facility designed to provide for elderly patients with neuro-degenerative disorders. Boyer isn't long in the new building, however, before ominous events begin to occur - including a high number of deaths among the patients. Eschewing the notion that this may be inevitable given the ages and illnesses of the populace, Charles smells a rat; he can never quite waive his sense that the others have been systematically rubbed out by an unknown party. As his investigation of the matter begins, questions linger about whether his suspicions are valid or merely a product of the ex-cop's Alzheimer-driven paranoia. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- André Dussollier, Marthe Keller, (more)
- 2007
- Add The Romance of Astrea and Celadon to QueueAdd The Romance of Astrea and Celadon to top of Queue
Acclaimed French filmmaker Eric Rohmer adapts author Honoré d'Urfé's classic 17th century novel to craft this morally complex tale of romance concerning a young couple about to be betrothed, but driven apart by a tragic misunderstanding. Celadon (Andy Gillet) and Astrea (Stéphanie Crayencour) are deeply in love. Each has vowed that they want to spend the rest of their lives together, but their future union is suddenly thrown into question when one day on the riverbank Astrea sees Celadon kissing another woman. Subsequently banning Celadon from her sight forever, the inconsolable Astrea is horrified to discover that Celadon has attempted to take his own life by leaping into the river after learning of the decree; fortunately, he was saved at the last minute by an upper-crust young woman (Véronique Reymond) who wants to possess him. Desperate to win Astrea back, Celadon accepts the advice of a druid priest and his niece, who convince him to dress in drag, pose as a woman, and strike up a friendship with Astrea. Before long, the two are kissing, holding hands, and napping together -- with Astrea little recognizing her new "best friend"'s real gender or identity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Gillet, Stéphanie Crayencour, (more)
- 2005
Eric Rohmer is one of the best-respected filmmakers in the history of the French cinema, as well as among the most elusive. Notoriously reluctant to talk about his own work, Rohmer rarely sits for filmed interviews, but documentary filmmaker Marie Binet has taken another route to gain a perspective on the director's working methods in this feature. Les Contes Secrets ou les Rohmeriens features interviews with 16 actors who have appeared in Rohmer's films, and they talk on camera about his unusual working methods, his personality, and his spare but evocative signature style. Among the thespians who share their memories are Jean-Louis Trinitignant, Marie-Christine Barrault, Zouzou, Jean-Claude Brialy, Béatrice Romand, Françoise Fabian, and Andre Dussolier; the film also includes rare footage of Rohmer himself at work on the set of his 1978 effort Perceval. Les Contes Secrets ou les Rohmeriens received its North American premiere at the 2005 New Montreal Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Féodor Atkine, Marie-Christine Barrault, (more)
Eric Rohmer, the globally-celebrated auteur behind Claire's Knee and Ma nuit chez Maud, helms Triple Agent, a riveting political drama set in 1930s France. The story is based on the historical account of Fyodor erge Renko, a Russian expatriate general filling the triple role of practicing espionage for the Marxists, Soviets, and Communists, and concurrently deceiving his wife Arsinoé (Katerina Didaskalou). Fyodor's life ultimately becomes entwined in the throes of deception and his life begins to unravel. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katerina Didaskalou, Serge Renko, (more)
- 2003
French filmmaker and professor of music Denis Dercourt directs the family drama Mes Enfants Ne Sont Pas Comme Les Autres (My Children Are Different). Widowed cellist Jean Debart (Richard Berry) is strict with his two children in regards to their musical education. Teenager Adele (Elodie Peudepiece) studies the cello but yearns for some rebellious independence while 11-year-old Alexandre (Frederic Roullier) is firmly committed to playing the piano and observing his father's wishes. Their stern grandfather Maître Erhardt (Maurice Garrel) is an orchestra conductor and their uncle Gerald (Mathieu Amalric) is a less-ambitious musician who finds work making background sounds. Soon Adele finds herself growing away from her father's harsh rules when she meets fellow musician Thomas (Malik Zidi). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Berry, Mathieu Amalric, (more)
- 1998
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Lacan, Marc Citti, (more)
- 1995
Chance meetings provide the central theme for this Parisian film comprised of three loosely related episodes. The first, "Le Rendez-vous de 7 heures," centers on Esther, who tries to make her womanizing boyfriend jealous by finding her own new lover. She finds a likely candidate in a Montmartre market; they begin talking and agree to meet at the Beaubourg cafe that night. There, he steals her wallet. Later a stranger returns it. The stranger mentions that she must go to the Beaubourg to meet her ex-lover. Esther accompanies her and gets a big surprise. In the second episode, "Les Blancs de Paris," two would-be lovers hold a series of conversations in various Paris locales. The problem is that she is trying to find the courage to leave her fiancé. The new man, a young professor, asks her to move in with him. Instead, they end up planning to spend three days in a Montmartre hotel while her fiancé is out of town. There the woman meets with an unfortunate coincidence. In the last vignette, "Mere et enfant 1907," an artist and his Swedish lady friend go to an art gallery. There the painter sees a young woman admiring Picasso's 1907 canvas Mother and Child. He then abandons his friend and takes off after the woman through the winding streets. Eventually, he ends up at her studio where he meets with disappointment. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clara Bellar
- 1991
On a summer day of 1846, George Sand hosts a large party at her country house in Nohant. Among the celebrities present are the painter Eugene Delacroix, the opera singer Pauline Viardot, and Viardot's lover, the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev. As Sand's longtime affair with composer Frederick Chopin is close to an end, Sand's daughter Solange tries to use the situation to win the heart of the ailing musical genius. Filmmaker Andrzej Zulawski irreverently depicted his famous characters as shallow, petty, selfish opportunists, while Chopin is portrayed as a tragic, misunderstood genius. Ultimately a story about destiny, the film seems a personal reflection of Zulawski's experiences, for both he and Chopin were Polish expatriates in France. The film is highly theatrical and occasionally hilarious, but despite its ups and downs, the movie's highlight is Chopin's music, brilliantly performed by Polish pianist Janusz Olejniczak. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janusz Olejniczak, Marie-France Pisier, (more)
