Nicolas Duvauchelle Movies

It marked a grotesque and unseemly incident that took the European press by storm: in 2004, a young French woman came forward and claimed to have been attacked by black and Arabic thugs who mistook her for a Jew. But after her story broke, no witnesses came forward to support her and security cameras at the train station revealed no such attack; the woman later admitted that she had ripped her own clothes, drawn swastikas on her own stomach, and fabricated the entire story. With the drama Fille du Rer, acclaimed French writer-director André Téchiné presents a thinly-veiled fictionalization of the same events. Emilie Dequenne stars as Jeanne, an unemployed girl who lives with her mother (Catherine Deneuve) in a Parisian suburb and spends the majority of her free time rollerblading. She has little knowledge of - or interest in - history or politics, and remains withdrawn, insular and sullen, keeping the majority of her thoughts and observations to herself. Circumstances change just a bit when Jeanne enters a live-in relationship with a beefy, thuggish wrestler boyfriend, Franck (Nicolas Duvauchelle) in a dingy warehouse, but violence soon erupts between the two. Jeanne ultimately takes a job for an attorney-cum-ex-boyfriend of her mother's (Michel Blanc) whose involvement in Judaic causes and politically committed family prompt even greater feelings of alientation and isolation in Jeanne. When Franck's involvement in criminal activities comes to light and the police intervene, Jeanne perversely reasons that she can only become tied to history by inventing a role for herself, and decides to fabricate the said story about the train - little realizing the calamitous consequences that it will engender. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A pregnant widow awaiting her ride to the hospital must fight for her life against a mysterious woman who comes knocking on her door in directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's daring tale of caesarian terror. It's been four months since Sarah (Alysson Paradis) was involved in the tragic car accident that claimed the life of her husband, yet somehow the couple's unborn child miraculously survived the jarring ordeal. Now it's Christmas Eve and Sarah is sitting alone in her suburban home, still grieving the loss of her beloved. Soon, Sarah's mother will arrive to drive her daughter to the hospital, where the doctors plan to induce labor. Out of nowhere, Sarah hears a knock at the door; on the other side is a stranger (Beatrice Dalle) who calmly asks to use Sarah's telephone. Immediately suspicious of the stranger's motivations, Sarah locks the door and quickly calls the police. Upon searching the grounds, the policemen find no trace of an intruder and Sarah cautiously bolts her doors once again. But unbeknownst to the expectant mother, this time she has unwillingly locked herself into a violent struggle for the one thing that matters most to her. Now, as the scissor-wielding psychopath attempts to forcefully claim the new life within Sarah, the jealous maternal battle is about to get bloody. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A would-be nun pays a visit to an outside world that's full of surprises in this comedy-drama from France. Avril (Sophie Quinton) never knew her parents; rather than keep her, her folks left her on the doorstep of a convent, where she was raised by the nuns, led by Sister Bernadette (Miou-Miou). Avril has long intended to join the only family she's ever known at the convent, but Sister Bernadette gently but firmly suggests she should take the opportunity to see the larger world before she turns her life over to the Lord. The suggestion has been nagging at Avril for some time, and when she and her fellow novices are supposed to spend a weekend in silent meditation at the chapel, she takes the opportunity to sneak away for a few days. Avril's attempts to learn something about her parents has led her to discover she has a twin brother, and she decides it's time she met him. Avril hitches a ride to visit her brother David (Clement Sibony), catching a lift with Pierre (Nicolas Duvauchelle)} and arriving in time to discover he's about to leave for a weekend getaway. David invites Avril along, but to her surprise, he also brings along Jim (Richaud Valls), his significant other; Pierre ends up tagging along, and as Avril gets to know her brother and his boyfriend, she also notices that Pierre seems to have taken a keen interest in her. Avril was the first feature film from writer and director Gerald Hustache-Mathieu. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Four nameless people are brought together by crime and circumstances in this visually striking drama. A naïve young woman (Isild Le Besco) who studies art and lives with her wealthy family goes to a nightclub one evening and meets a mysterious young man of Moroccan heritage (Ouassini Embarek). The two are immediately attracted to one another, and spend the night together. Not long afterward, the woman gets a phone call from her new lover, who has disturbing news -- he's in the midst of a bank robbery that's gone wrong, and several of his accomplices have been shot by the police. The woman offers to hide the man from the authorities, and he soon arrives with the only member of his crew to made it out alive (Nicolas Duvauchelle). They spend the night hiding out with the young woman, and the next morning, the accomplice's girl (Laurence Cordier) joins the party as the foursome leave France for Spain. However, the thieves and their women don't take well to exile; personality clashes arise, and they discover that the stolen money is more readily identifiable than they imagined. À Toute de Suite was screened as part of the "Un Certain Regard" series at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli makes his feature-length debut as a writer/director with the psychological drama Les Corps Impatients (Eager Bodies), based on the novel by Christian de Montella. Laura Smet (daughter of singer/actor Johnny Hallyday and actress Nathalie Baye) makes her film debut as Charlotte, a young woman battling cancer. Nicolas Duvauchelle plays her boyfriend Paul, who has pledged to stick by her through the chemotherapy. When Charlotte's healthy cousin Ninon (Marie Denarnaud) comes to visit, Paul ends up sleeping with her. Originally shot on digital video, Eager Bodies was shown at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Two hormonally overdriven teens find each other as they try to figure out the ways of love and sex in this French comedy. Fifteen-year-old Roudoudou (Julie Durand) is a girl whose mind has been taken over by a typically adolescent curiosity about sex; she has frequent (and funny) erotic dreams, listens in on her brother as he talks nasty with his girlfriend on the phone, and she's developed a furious crush on a man twice her age. Roudoudou's parents think she needs some help with her awkward stage, and have decided to send her to a psychiatrist. While waiting for her appointment, Roudoudou meets Romain (Alexis Roucout), a 15-year-old boy who is also trying to sort out his new preoccupation with sex. Deciding she'd rather spend time with Romain than talk to an analyst, Roudoudou persuades her friend Lily (Alice Houri) (who is her brother's regular phone date) to visit the shrink in her place. Du Poil Sous Les Roses was directed in collaboration by Agnes Obadia, an established actress who also plays Romain's mother, and first-time helmer Jean-Julien Chervier. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this French drama, a teenager falls into a life of crime, little realizing the consequences. S. (Nicolas Duvauchelle) is a moody young man who loses his job at a bakery, and decides to throw in his lot with a group of thieves about the same age as himself. S. and his cronies are strictly small-timers, pulling off second-rate break-ins for an older crime boss, but his willingness to do what he's told helps him rise up the ladder to bigger and more lucrative jobs. However, S. lacks the maturity or experience to deal with the risks, and after a few disastrous mistakes, he finds his fortunes sinking far faster than they rose. Directed and co-written by Erick Zonca, Le Petit Voleur/The Little Thief was originally produced for French television and is not to be confused with Claude Miller's La Petite Voleuse, which was based on an unproduced screenplay by François Truffaut. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide