Jalil Lespert Movies
- 2008
A circus performer uses his talents to inspire more than just laughter in this drama based on a true story from writer and director Marco Pontecorvo. Miloud Oukili (Jalil Lespert) is a French clown of Algerian heritage who has become weary of life in Paris. Miloud makes his way to Bucharest, where he discovers a gang of homeless children who have turned to crime to support themselves -- the boys earn pocket money as thieves, the girls often work as prostitutes despite their tender age, and they blot out the misery of their lives sniffing glue in an unused stretch of sewer main they call home. After seeing the desperation that has turned these children into cynical criminals before their time, Miloud is determined to do something for them, and he organizes them into a children's circus troupe, teaching them performing and acrobatic skills and showing them how to earn a living while giving them back a bit of their youthful innocence. Pa-Ra-Da earned director Marco Pontecorvo a special prize at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jalil Lespert, Evita Ciri, (more)
- 2007
Four lost souls in search of a connection are brought together by fate on a quiet Christmas Eve in the feature directorial debut of actor-turned-director Jalil Lespert. It's the day before Christmas, and as bleach-blonde prostitute Helly (Lubna Azabal) wakes up next to an anonymous john, all she can think about is collecting her cash and scoring a fix. Humiliated by her pimp and denied visitation with her son until the following day, Helly collapses into the off-duty cab of unpredictable taxi driver Didier (Benoît Magimel) -- who has recently robbed his place of employment and now seeks to find a suitable female to pose as his fiancée. Generously compensating the damaged Helly for her valuable time, Didier and his temporary bride-to-be soon make their way to the hospital for a brief visit with the cabbie's comatose father. Later, Helly meets up with conflicted lesbian Marie (Bérangère Allaux) before hitting the disco with lonely and unstable bachelor Chris (Sami Bouajila). Years ago, Chris' father committed suicide after being severely criticized by jazz musician Marcus Briggs (Archie Shepp). Now, as Marie attempts to come to terms with her egocentric mother and Chris reels from an emotionally-charged encounter with Briggs, the night begins to fall and the hope for a better tomorrow is all that anyone has to cling to. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benoît Magimel, Lubna Azabal, (more)
- 2006
A crisis forces a family to mend old wounds in this drama from French filmmaker Robert Guediguian. Anna (Ariane Ascaride) is a heart surgeon who lives and works in Marseilles; her late mother was Italian, and her curmudgeonly father Barsam (Marcel Bluwal) was born and raised in Armenia. Anna has issues with Barsam, believing he was pitilessly cruel to her mother, but she still looks after him, and when she diagnoses him with a serious cardiac condition, Anna schedules him for surgery. However, Barsam does not want to have the operation, and without warning he leaves Marseilles to pay a visit to the small town of his birth. Desperate to find Barsam, Anna turns to his old friend Yervanth (Gerard Meylan), who offers only the most grudging assistance as she flies to Armenia in search of her dad. The Journey To Armenia (aka Le Voyage en Armenie) was screened as part of the Masters Program at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ariane Ascaride, Gérard Meylan, (more)
An innocent man is on the run after he's accused of murder and his spouse seemingly returns from the grave in this thriller from France. Alex Beck (François Cluzet) is a doctor who has slowly been putting his life back together after his wife Margot was murdered by a serial killer. Eight years on, Alex is doing well enough until he finds himself implicated in the murder of two people, with plenty of evidence pointing to him as the killer even though he knows nothing of the crimes. The same day, Alex receives an e-mail that appears to be from Margot (Marie-Josée Croze), which includes a link to a video clip that seems to be recent and features his late wife looking alive and well. Margot's message warns Alex that they are both being watched, and he struggles to stay one step ahead of the law as a gang of strong-arm men intimidate Alex's friends into telling whatever they might know about him. Alex's sister Anne (Marina Hands) persuades her well-to-do lover Helene (Kristin Scott Thomas) to hire a well respected attorney, Elisabeth Feldman (Nathalie Baye), to handle Alex's case. While Elisabeth tries to keep Alex out of jail, she learns that her client has a warrant out for his arrest, and Alex goes on the lam while he and his lawyer struggle to find out the truth about the murder as well as Margot's reappearance. Tell No One (aka Ne Le Dis a Personne) was based on the international best-selling novel by Harlan Coben. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- François Cluzet, André Dussollier, (more)
A young, inexperienced detective is inducted into an elite Paris plainclothes unit in Le Petit Lieutenant, directed by Xavier Beauvois (Don't Forget You're Going to Die). Antoine (Jalil Lespert or Human Resources) is as gung-ho as they come, and eager to learn everything he needs to know to be a good cop, although he misses his wife (Bérangère Allaux), a schoolteacher who stayed behind in the country when Antoine took his new job. Antoine socializes with his new comrades, who seem to drink an awful lot, with the exception of the unit commander, Caroline (Nathalie Baye), an alcoholic who has just returned from a long stint on desk duty. The other experienced detectives that Antoine looks up to are the cynical Louis (Antoine Chappey), and the stalwart Solo (Roschdy Zem), who in addition to the rigors of the job faces bigotry due to his Moroccan origin. When a Polish immigrant is found murdered in a canal near the station, the unit begins a methodical investigation, eventually learning that the victim was last seen with a couple of Russians. When a second victim is rescued from the waters of the canal a few days later, the case takes on a new urgency. As Antoine tries to fit in and learn on the job, Caroline struggles with her addiction and forms an almost maternal bond with the rookie. Le Petit Lieutenant also features Jacques Perrin, and was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center as part of their 2006 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nathalie Baye, Jalil Lespert, (more)
- 2002
A French apartment building's natural order is disrupted by a young, melodramatic touring actress in The Idol, the third film from director Samantha Lang. Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) moves into an apartment that had been unoccupied for quite some time and begins tormenting her neighbors with frequent sessions of rambunctious lovemaking with her lover Phillippe (Jalil Lespert). Directly across the hall from Sarah's apartment lives an elderly Chinese man named Zao (James Hong), whom Sarah recognizes as a kindred soul and possible confidant. After inviting the old man into her apartment, she boldly opens her soul to him and reveals her intentions of committing suicide as a means of creating a scandal and exacting revenge against her lover, who also happens to be the husband of the actress that Sarah is an understudy for. Zao, rather than attempting to dissuade the young woman from following through with her vow, asks that he be allowed to cook for her until she commits the deed. Sarah and Zao thus begin a strangely unique friendship as they approach what appears to be the final chapter of their respective lives. The Idol was included in 2002 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leelee Sobieski
Set in 1974, when the French government decided to allow the families of Algerian men working in France to legally emigrate to join them, Inch'Allah Dimanche tells the story of one such family. Upon arriving in France with her three children, Zouina (Fejra Deliba), is sent off to live in a house that her husband has rented for them. Unfortunately, she quickly realizes that her husband has no intention of allowing her to see the country as it exists outside of the house, and is prohibited from leaving. Without friends and family and constantly under the surveillance of her domineering mother-in-law, Zouina finds her only source of relief is Sunday -- the film's title translates to "Thank God for Sunday!" -- when her husband takes his mother out for the day and Zouina and the children are able to explore the outside world. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fejria Deliba, Zinedine Soualem, (more)
A man struggles to support his family while remaining true to his ideals in this drama set in Europe during the 1930s. Orfeo Mancini (Jacques Gamblin) and his wife Nella (Yael Abecassis) are a pair of working-class Italians who years ago swore allegiance to the Communist party. With Mussolini on the rise, Orfeo and Nella come to the conclusion that they are no longer welcome in their native land, and they decide to pull up stakes and move to America with their two children. As a result of some confusion en route, the Mancinis end up in Marseilles rather than the United States; needing work, Orfeo takes a job working as a manual laborer for a wealthy landowner (Serge Hazanavicius). This requires a serious amount of pride-swallowing on Orfeo's part, since his new boss is an Italian expatriate who once courted Nella. The situation becomes all the more difficult for Orfeo when his employer throws his allegiances behind the growing fascist movement. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacques Gamblin, Yaël Abecassis, (more)
Bernard Stora directs this coming-of-age drama about a single-minded soccer player sidetracked by love. Laurant (Jalil Lespert) lives in a crowded little abode with his mother, a pair of half-brothers, and an Arabic-speaking grandmother. Laurent's soccer-playing prowess has garnered the attention of scouts from a professional team in Nantes. Believing that sex only distracts an athlete's focus, he has never bothered much with girls until he meets Fabienne (Mireille Perrier), the sexy single mother of one of his mates. Soon, a May-December relationship blooms between the two. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chantal Banlier, Yasmine Belmadi, (more)
Daniel Auteuil stars as the infamous Marquis de Sade, who at the beginning of Sade, is serving a sentence in Paris' grim Saint Lazarde prison. The year is 1794, and Sade is being persecuted for his steadfast atheism, which runs counter to the beliefs of Robespierre, France's terrifying revolutionary leader. The Marquis is granted something of a reprieve when he is transferred -- courtesy of his mistress Sensible (Marianne Denicourt) -- to Picpus, a former convent that now serves as the equivalent of a luxury prison. Although Picpus is not without its own guillotine and mass grave, Sade is more concerned with the blossoming Emilie (Isild Le Besco). Meanwhile, Sensible, who has a son who calls Sade "Papa," is forced to share the bed of her own protector, Fournier (Gregoire Colin), a moody lout who hates Sade and works for none other than Robespierre. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Auteuil, Marianne Denicourt, (more)
In this drama, a young man learns some painful lessons about his family and corporate accountability. Franck (Jalil Lespert) is a recent college graduate who has obtained an internship with a metalworking concern, where his father (Jean-Claude Vallod) has worked as a machinist since leaving school. Franck's job is to aid management and act as a liaison with labor as the plant switches over to a new 35-hour work week. Franck takes his new job seriously -- seriously enough to go out of his way to research the opinions of the workers regarding the firm's new plans. This puts his father in an uncomfortable position: it's obvious that Franck wants to stand up for the rights of the employees, but this isn't sitting well with the boss (Lucien Longueville), and that leaves dad as the man in the middle. Franck then discovers that the company has taken the data he collected and used it in deceptive ways; the result is a corporate edict that will lead to the firing of many long-time employees, including Franck's father. Franck moves from management's to labor's side in this struggle, but at the same time he must tend to the strained relationship between himself and his father. Franck acknowledges his shame about his working-class roots and his inability to understand the pride his father feels about his work. Father, on the other hand, has to confront the fact the company he has selflessly served for most of his adult life is prepared to toss him away for no good reason. Ressources Humaines received its world premiere at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival, where Laurent Cantet received the New Directors Award for best first or second feature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jalil Lespert, Jean-Claude Vallod, (more)
- 1999
- NR
The loosely interrelated romantic difficulties of six people living in Paris provide the framework for the drama Nos Vies Heureuses/Our Happy Lives. Cecile (Cecile Richard) is an impulsive bohemian who documents the lives of her friends with her camera. One of her closest friends is Emilie (Camille Japy), who is trying to work her way through a dying relationship with her boyfriend Antoine (Alain Beigel), even though he still seems to have feelings for her. Julie (Marie Payen) is on the rebound from a busted romance and falls for Ali (Sami Bouajila), a Moroccan who washes dishes in a restaurant and is having trouble staying in France. Ali's boss, a chef named Lucas (Jean-Michel Portal), has just watched his marriage crash and burn and is starting to ask himself serious questions about his sexual identity. The first feature after a series of highly praised short films from director Jacques Maillot (and quite a feature at 147 minutes), Nos Vies Heureuses/Our Happy Lives was shown in competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Payen, Cécile Richard, (more)
One of eight medium-length films sponsored by France's Channel 7 television network designed to commemorate or comment upon the upcoming millennium, Laurent Cantet's Les Sanguinaires represents France. It is set in December, 1999 and centers upon Francois, a Parisian travel agent who decides to travel to the title island (located off the coast of Corsica) to get away from the celebratory chaos in Paris. Traveling with a few friends and their many children, Francois arrives upon the island on Christmas day and must wait five hours for Stephane the caretaker to show up. His lateness puts the fussy Francois in a bad mood that does not improve when he discovers that the house has no heat and that his bedding is damp. The others decide to make the best of things and enjoy themselves. They find Stephane charming, which only makes Francois even madder. As New Year's approaches, Francois gets more and more tense. The story's underlying message remarks upon the protagonist's inability to escape the trappings of humanity he supposedly loathes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederic Pierrot, Catherine Baugue, (more)
