Agnes de Sacy Movies

A brother and sister face the traumas of middle age while their mother loses her battle with Alzheimer's in this comedy-drama from France. Simon (Charles Berling) is a writer in his mid-forties who is getting his life back on track after a divorce; he's also looking after his teenage daughter (Anais Demoustier) who is too clever for her own good as well as his elderly mother Frida (Shulamit Adar) who is living with Alzheimer's disease. Frida has began wandering out of her house in search of her husband, who died several years before, and one day she appears at the door of Manou (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), who lives in a flat that Frida and her mate once called home. Simon comes by to bring his mother home; he and Manou quickly hit it off, and he finds himself beginning a new romance in the once shabby apartment where he grew up. Simon's sister Judith (Miou-Miou) is also having to keep en eye on Frida while wondering what to do with her own life. Like Simon, Judith is divorced, and her two children are grown and living on their own; she's suffering from a severe case of Empty Nest Syndrome, and wants a man in her life again. Judith's loneliness leads her into an affair with a man she dated when she was a teenager, but she can't fool herself into believing the relationship has a future. Les Murs Porteurs (aka Cycles) was the first feature film from writer and director Cyril Gelblat. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Actress-cum-director Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi's sophomore feature, the comedy-drama Les Actrices (Le reve de la nuit d'avant), follows the trials and travails of Marcelline (Tedeschi), a tense and jittery stage thesp whose personal and professional life threaten to fall into pieces simultaneously. On a personal level, Marcelline hits the midpoint of her life, hears her biological clock ticking, and longs desperately for a child. At work, Marcelline's inability to find the core of her character, Natalia Petrovna, in a production of Turgenev's A Month in the Country only causes her emotional tension to double. In time, she regresses into such a basket case that she can barely respond to the stage director's query about whether she is right or left-handed. Marcelline's natty and overanxious mother (Marisa Borini, Tedeschi's mother in real life) weighs heavily on her as well, pressuring her constantly about the need to find an appropriate suitor before time runs out; instead, Marcelline finds herself drawn helplessly to Eric (Louis Garrel) a sexy young actor in the production - who, without her knowledge, nurtures reciprocal affections. This parallels the events that befall Petrovna in Turgenev's play, and indeed, at one point the spirit of Petrovna (Valeria Golino) appears to Marcelline for much-needed counsel. Meanwhile, as Marcelline weathers her own personal crises, one of her friends, Nathalie (Noemie Lvovsky) - the assistant to the play's director - struggles with her offstage lack of fulfillment as a wife and mother. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

An idyllic family vacation is unexpectedly thrown into jeopardy with the arrival of an amiable visitor whose casual disregard for the family mold causes a notable rift in the once-happy household in director Zabou Breitman's assured sophomore feature. Frédéric (Bernard Campan) is a middle-class father whose deep love for both his beautiful wife Frédérique (Léa Tucker) and their energetic son makes the perfect snapshot of modern contentment. Each day of their sun-soaked vacation seems to pass with the gentle flow of a refreshing breeze as the carefree trio swims, dines on the terrace, and simply enjoys their time together. When recently arrived neighbor Hugo (Charles Burling) drops by for a visit, good natured Frédéric generously invites the man to join his family for dinner. Their casual dinner conversation soon leading to the revelation that Hugo is gay, Frédéric and Hugo subsequently develop a warm friendship despite their drastically different lifestyles. In the days that follow, the deeply personal conversations between longtime monogamist Frédéric and free-thinking Hugo send the once-lazy family vacation into unexpectedly introspective territory as the sexually static father and husband gradually begins to question his longstanding beliefs about human relationships. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A wealthy but dysfunctional family teeters on the brink of collapse in this emotional drama leavened with a strong dose of dark comedy. Federica (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) is the daughter of a wealthy Italian business magnate (Roberto Herlitzka) who relocated himself and his family to France in the 1970s, after a wave of kidnappings among the rich and prominent led him to fear for their safety. Years later, Federica and her siblings -- brother Aurelio (Lambert Wilson) and sister Bianca (Chiara Mastroianni) -- still feel lost and disconnected, and with their father on his death bed, they each confront their feelings in their own way. Emotionally distant Aurelio plans a long and expensive vacation, while Bianca is in a sour mood that refuses to lift. Federica, who is attempting to establish herself as a playwright, tries to focus on her work, but she finds herself romantically torn between her current beau, down to earth Pierre (Jean-Hugues Anglade) and her former lover Philippe (Denis Podalydes), who despite his infatuation with her can't tear himself away from his wife and child. Il Est Plus Facile Pour un Chameau... was the first feature film from Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, who wrote and directed the film as well as playing Federica. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Can a gay man find happiness with the mother of Jesus Christ? Mario $Gregoire Colin) is a openly homosexual hairdresser who one day meets Marie-Helene (Isabelle Carre) when he sees her singing beside a tree in a park. They get to know each other and Mario discovers Marie-Helene believes she is the Virgin Mary; though obviously pregnant, she says no man had anything to do with her unborn child. Marie-Helene also needs a place to live, so Mario brings her home, which comes as a shock to his step-mother (Carmen Maura) and half-sister, who aren't used to seeing Mario socializing with women, let along pregnant virgins. However, Marie-Helene's kindness and grace soon wins everyone over, even if her story is less than convincing. This surreal fable was the directorial debut for filmmaker Jean-Claude Janer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide