Malik Zidi Movies

Italian director Fausto Brizzi's romantic comedy Ex draws from an ensemble framework and an all-star European cast, including Claudio Bisio, Nancy Brilli, Cristiana Capotondi and Cecile Castel, to meditate on the various situations engendered by the presence of former lovers - from the instances in which affection and devotion have regressed into hatred, to the cases where friendship blossoms from a prior romance, to the instances where love lingers on indefinitely. From instance to instance and one onscreen relationship to another, the film meditates on the myriad of ways in which old romantic partners can shape our lives. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

As a warm and gentle human fable with a leftwing political undercurrent, the French-language picture Looking for Cheyenne concerns two women passionately in love with one another, and yet hopelessly separated. Journalist Cheyenne (Mila Dekker) is reeling - not only from a split with one of the great loves of her life, high school science prof Sonia (Aurelia Petit), but from a recent and unexpected job loss - the product of her company's decision to downsize. When she finds it next to impossible to land another job, Cheyenne eventually throws up her hands in disgust and drops out altogether. Refusing to live by society's constraints, and rejecting every government "handout" that comes down the pike, Cheyenne lives without running water, electricity, or groceries, preferring instead to live off of discarded vegetables that she discovers in trashcans and to light her residence with candles. Meanwhile, Sonia keeps her job, but enters an affair with a freewheeling young man, Pierre. An anarchist who spends his time passing out flyers full of anarchist catchphrases and taglines, he readily admits to Sonia that he could care less about her pansexuality and is willing to accept her on her own terms. Sonia's affair represents an attempt to drown the sorrow out of her life, for she - like Cheyenne - is still destroyed and devastated by the recent breakup. As each woman grapples with a unique outlet for her sorrow, eccentric and endearing characters waltz in and out of their lives and form various romantic couplings; these include a wealthy middle-aged woman of a predatory nature (Guilaine Londez) ; a comely and naïve co-ed who decides to stage her own form of social rebellion (Eleonore Michelin); an affable and ebullient Russian (Miglen Mirtchev), and a man who believes in returning to the soil (Laurence Cote). Director Valerie Minetto thus weaves together a giant life tapestry composed of joys and sorrows, unexpected treasures and resounding disappointments. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A worldly construction supervisor travels to Tangier to ensure that a complicated job is completed by the projected date, only to find the torch he carries for a long-lost love rekindled with melancholy passion in director Andre Techine's pensive romantic drama. It's been thirty-years since Antoine (Gerard Depardieu) and Ceclile (Catherine Denuve) called it quits, but time has only seemed to amplify Antoine's longings for the woman that stole his heart so many years ago. Though Antoine has never married, Cecile is now the host of a successful radio show whose extended marriage to Moroccan doctor Nathan (Gilbert Melki) has yielded a now-grown son named Sami (Malik Zidi). When Antoine arrives in Northern Morocco to watch over his latest project, his attention soon diverts to Cecile - who has always been close in Antoine's mind despite the physical and emotional distance between them. Cecil isn't as willing to let go of her blissfully predictable routine, however, and as Antoine dejectedly ponders a means of making her change her mind, the appearance of Cecil's closeted son - who has recently arrived home with his troubled Moroccan girlfriend (Lubna Azabal) in tow - begins to cause complications of its own. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A group of Jewish Holocaust survivors attempt to restart their lives after Europe's liberation from Nazi occupation in director Michel Deville's 2002 ensemble drama Almost Peaceful. Husband and wife couple Albert (Simon Abkaryan) and Lea (Zabou Breitman) attempt to rebuild their tailoring business in central Paris, starting with the hiring of staff for their company. All of their new employees have been scarred -- in varying degrees -- by their experiences during the war. Charles (Denis Podalydes) lost his entire family to the death camps, while Maurice (Stanislas Merhar) seems to be unable to sustain long-term relationships and -- as a result -- frequents whorehouses for companionship. While all of them initially refuse to discuss their experiences during the war, they all also eventually realize that the only way to truly move forward with the rest of their lives is to come to terms with their pasts. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

French bad boy director Francois Ozon follows up on his controversial first two films Sitcom (1998) and Criminal Lovers (1999) with this adaptation of a play that legendary German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder wrote when he was 19 years old. Retaining the play's four-act structure, the first act opens with middle-aged Leopold (Bernard Giraudeau) escorting young Franz (Malick Zidi) back to his apartment. Franz, who was on his way to visit his fiancée Anna, allows himself to be picked up by the older man. After some small talk, Leopold orders Franz to undress and wait for him in the bedroom. The second act takes up six months later. Franz has moved into Leopold's apartment soon after their first encounter. Interested in the arts and poetry, he increasingly finds himself at odds with his older, moody, demanding lover. Still, the relationship manages to endure. In act three, ex-fiancée Anna (Ludivine Sagnier) shows up at the apartment while Leopold is away. Their previous passion is quickly rekindled, and Anna soon marvels at the sundry techniques her lover has learned since she last saw him. When Leopold unexpectedly returns with Vera (Anna Thompson), his transsexual ex-lover, in tow, the stage is set for a complex dance of shifting power dynamics. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Nicole Garcia directed this French suspense thriller set in the posh Paris square of Place Vendôme, where the jewelers district includes the firm run by Vincent Malivert (Bernard Fresson) with his brother, Eric (François Berléand). Although Vincent has a top reputation in the field, his British colleagues suspect he fences stolen diamonds. Vincent's alcoholic wife Marianne (Catherine Deneuve), who goes to a classy clinic to dry out, doesn't like the thought of signing papers to transfer the firm's name to other hands, a move that will save the firm from bankruptcy. Thanks to Vincent, she knows of some hidden diamonds, but others would also like to locate the hidden pouch, including the mysterious employers of Kleiser (Philippe Clevenot). The odyssey sends Marianne into boardrooms, past the workbenches of gem-cutters, and on through the hotels, cafes, and diamond markets of Paris and Antwerp. Shown in competition at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide