Vahina Giocante

A lonely orphaned princess makes the acquaintance of a kindly unicorn whose friendship helps the struggling girl to finally realize what true happiness is all about in this animated children's fantasy from premiere French children's author Grégoire Solotareff and filmmaker Serge Elissalde. Mona (Isild Le Besco) lives a lonely existence in a crumbling castle on the shores of the sea -- where she is cruelly mistreated by a pair of bullying rats. Just as it seems that Mona will never find her place in the world, a coltish unicorn named U (Vahina Giocante) appears before her and claiming that it is her duty to set Mona down the path of happiness. Over the course of the next few years, Mona and U become the very best of friends. When Mona blossoms into a charming preteen and U returns home one day with a playful lizard named Lazare (Guillaume Gallienne), Mona fast becomes friends with both the congenial reptile and his family -- a boisterous group of musicians who reside in a nearby tree. When the rats voice their displeasure at the company of Mona's new guests and the newly empowered princess finally stands her ground against the tyrannical rodents, the once quiet castle soon becomes a place of happiness and merriment. As love begins to blossom between Mona and guitarist Kulka, U ponders an uncertain future now that her selfless mission in life is finally complete. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Parisian authorities clash with the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) in director Alain Tasma's recounting of one of the darkest moments of the Algerian War of Independence. As the war wound to a close and violence persisted in the streets of Paris, the FLN and its supporters adopted the tactic of murdering French policemen in hopes of forcing a withdrawal. When French law enforcement retaliated by brutalizing Algerians and imposing a strict curfew, the FLN organizes a peaceful demonstration that drew over 11,000 supporters, resulting in an order from the Paris police chief to take brutal countermeasures. Told through the eyes of both French policemen as well as Algerian protestors, Tasma's film attempts to get to the root of the tragedy by presenting both sides of the story. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

From Jan Kounen, the French director of the violent cult actioner Dobermann, comes this loose adaptation of Jean "Mobius" Giraud's comic series Blueberry. Vincent Cassel stars as Mike Blueberry, a lawman whose past comes back to haunt him when his town is invaded by the nefarious Blount (Michael Madsen), the man responsible for his first love's murder. Led by a German con man by the name of Prosit (an unrecognizable Eddie Izzard), Blount and his crew search for an ancient treasure buried deep within Indian tribal grounds, while Blueberry and his Indian friend Runi (Temuera Morrison) race to keep the land sacred and stop the thieves by any means possible. Featuring Juliette Lewis and her father, Geoffrey Lewis, in supporting roles, the film sports a solid American cast that boasts an additional performance by Colm Meaney and a rare appearance by none other than Ernest Borgnine. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Directed by Ray Sandrine, Vivante follows the changes in the life of a young woman after being brutally gang-raped. When 19-year-old Parisian student Claire (Vahina Giocante) is sexually assaulted by four men, she doesn't tell anyone. Rather, she opts to drop out of school and begin a dangerous and decidely more promiscuous existence. Though her newfound habits of incessant clubbing, casual sex, and ominous flirtations with substance abuse leave her brother and father dismayed, Claire shows no signs of slowing down until a sympathetic older woman and a particularly sensitive boyfriend offer the insight needed to pull her out of an increasingly reckless lifestyle. Vicante also stars Samuel Jouy, Francois Berleand, Fanny Cottencon, and Pierre Cassignard. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Gabriel Aghion directs this bawdy period romp about a day in the life of 18th century philosopher and sensualist Denis Diderot (Vincent Perez), who produced the first ever encyclopedia while living a life of delicious decadence. Though the Church immediately banned Diderot's opus, which they deemed to be a compendium of forbidden knowledge, copies continued to circulate. Diderot, along with his wife (Francoise Lepine) and daughter, are staying in the country estate of the Baron and Baroness d'Holbach -- who put a pair of illegal printing presses and a legion of typesetters in a chamber beneath the family altar. At the same time that the Church sends a grumpy Cardinal (Michel Serrault) to ferret out the clandestine press, comely Madame Therbouche (Fanny Ardant) shows up to paint Diderot's portrait. While Diderot occupies himself with his artist friend, the Baroness keeps the Cardinal occupied with her laundry list of sordid confessions. Naughty fun soon ensues. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Yves Angelo directed this slow-paced French drama adapted from the novel by Steinunn Sigurdardottir about two sisters -- high school literature instructor Alda (Emmanuelle Beart) and her older sister Olga (Sandrine Bonnaire). On an island, the sisters and Olga's 17-year-old daughter Sigga (Vahina Giocante) live in a former rectory adjacent to a cemetery where an old woman (Bulle Ogier) talks to herself. After school, while Sigga does her homework, the enigmatic Alda engages in some extracurricular exercises with married men (with Olga sometimes eavesdropping just outside her door). Polite shopkeeper Jakob (Andre Dussollier) makes visits to collect the variety of straw animals made by Olga. Time passes slowly as long-buried secrets are unearthed, but the pace picks up during a fantasy sequence. The dialogue-sparse film features a clip from Carl Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Shown at 1998 film fests (Venice, Toronto). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide