Yvan Attal Movies

The French Love Without Pity strikes different people different ways. To some, it's the last word in profundity; to others, it's a subtitled yawnfest. We suggest that you judge for yourself this story of low-down louse Hippolyte Girardot, who regards the women in his life as little more that doormats upon which to wipe his feet. It's "just deserts" time when Girardot falls head over heels for Mireille Perrier, who proceeds to treat him like dirt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bruno is bored and frustrated. His attempts to woo Juliette, an attractive hairdresser in the village next to his have fallen flat, and he just plain doesn't like his life. He decides to do something to spice things up and at the same time impress Juliette that he's really smitten with her. That is why he takes a gun and hijacks a school bus, demanding to be taken to Juliette's village. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Diane Kurys and Antoine Lacomblez wrote this drama of a woman novelist and her troubled, 20-year relationship with a man who has fathered two children with another woman. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide

Espionage, personal integrity, and political commitment are the main themes running through this French thriller that chronicles a young man's journey from idealism to disillusionment and maturity. The story is set in the 1980's in Tel Aviv and follows the exploits and moral conflicts of Attal, a Jew who left his family in France on his eighteenth birthday to pursue a career as an agent in Israels' Institute for Intelligence, the Mossad. At first, his missions do not bother his conscience; he performs them for the good of Israel. But, as time passes, Attal must face more moral dilemmas as the work becomes more subversive and dishonest. He must ultimately decide whether to follow the his personal ideals, or be part of a system which promote immoral acts in the name of idealism. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Though unemployed, Pierre is buoyant, outgoing, affable, and experienced with women. This last is a point he never fails to drive home to Benoit, his gentle, hapless best friend. In an effort to compensate for his romantic failures, Benoit turns to the newspaper personals ads, and meets Marie. Even though his courtship of her is uninspiring, Marie agrees to marry Benoit. Naturally, Pierre meets Marie often. As he gets to know her, he discovers that he is recklessly in love with her, and he arranges his life around seeing her and being near her. He is so overtaken with feeling that he even corners total strangers in order to speak of his love. Benoit -completely unaware of this- suggests that he keep Marie company while he is at work. When everything comes out into the open, the friendship of the two men governs the outcome. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

A pair of French detectives enter a different world after they are assigned to solve a puzzling double homicide that occurred in an African neighborhood in Paris. The corpses of the two masked Malian women were discovered ritually mutilated and hanging from a ceiling. The detectives' search leads them to a Malian father and his 18-year-old daughter. The father confesses to the crime, but further investigation reveals that he is lying. Even more puzzled than before, the two investigators consult a noted professor who tries to help them understand the true nature of the crime. The story is based on a book by controversial French academic Tobie Nathan, a self-proclaimed "ethno-psychiatrist," who has been researching the problems experienced by France's many immigrants, particularly African ones, as they wrestle with the clash between their native beliefs and their new culture. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Old New Borrowed Blue is a bittersweet love story of modern times. Rosie and Vincent are desperately trying to have a baby, but this is causing an unavoidable stress on their sex life. When Benoit, a French postal worker and teenage pen pal of Rosie's, arrives on their doorstep with romantic intentions, Vincent is not as thrilled as Rosie. Having found out that his over-the-channel sweetheart is now married, Benoit settles in as her houseguest. Vincent is unhappy with the arrangement and tries to cure his wounded ego in an affair with his old flame, the local hairdresser, Cathy. Rosie and Vincent find themselves facing choices they had never imagined they would have to make. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

In this gritty crime drama, Jasper (Steven Mackintosh) is drinking in a pub one evening when he meets a beautiful woman named Sarah (Natasha Little), who after some conversation, seems quite willing to go back to Jasper's apartment. Later that same evening, a pair of cops, White (Holly Aird) and Walker (Bernard Hill), are called to investigate a noise complaint, arriving at Jasper's flat to discover Sarah has been murdered. Jasper insists he had nothing to do with the crime and that a hooligan broke into his apartment and killed the woman. The police are skeptical, but they lack sufficient evidence to hold him, so Jasper is released, with White assigned to follow him. As Jasper tries to track down evidence that would clear his name, other murders fall into his path, and he soon realizes that someone is taking great pains to frame him. The Criminal also features popular British comedian Eddie Izzard -- well known for his drag stand-up act -- in a rare non-humorous role as Peter, a forensics expert with the police. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Valentin (also known as And Now...Ladies and Gentleman) is directed by Claude Lelouch and features Jeremy Irons as Valentin, a criminal mastermind whose jewel-stealing business, despite having made him rich, does not offer him much room for personal growth. Hoping to find meaning for his existence, Valentin buys a boat and sets off on a one-man sailing trip around the world, with the police at his heels. At the same time, a burned-out jazz singer named Jane (Patricia Kaas) is in Morocco trying to forget an ill-fated love affair. Valentin, after being struck by a serious illness, makes an emergency landing on the Moroccan coast. Jane soon crosses paths with the suave con artist, and they begin a relationship. Valentin, filmed in France, England, and Morocco, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002. The supporting cast of Valentin includes Xavier Lecoeur, Romula Walker, and Laura Mayne-Kerbrat. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

The last frantic days before the Germans seized France in 1940 provide an unlikely backdrop for this dark comedy. Viviane (Isabelle Adjani) is a glamorous and well-known film actress who attracts the attentions of many men -- often many she has no interest in knowing. One night, at a reception following the premiere of her latest picture, Viviane finds herself pursued by Beaufort (Gérard Depardieu), a government official whose girth exceeds his charm. To throw him off her trail, Viviane allows a cranky older man, André Arpel (Nicolas Vaude), to escort her home. During the evening, Viviane and André quarrel, and after slapping him, she discovers that he has simply dropped dead. An understandably terrified Viviane calls a former boyfriend, Frédéric Roger (Grégori Derangère), and asks him to help her get rid of the body. In hopes of reviving their romance, he agrees, but after an auto accident, Frédéric is caught with the body, and is taken to jail to await his trial. When word gets out that German troops are due to arrive in Paris at any minute, Frédéric and his fellow prisoners are instructed they're to be moved out of town; Frédéric is handcuffed to petty thief Raoul (Yvan Attal), and en route the two are able to make their escape. When Frédéric learns that Viviane has fled to Bordeaux, along with much of the French upper crust, he makes his way there, where he finds he has a new rival for her affections -- Beaufort, who no longer seems such a poor prospect. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Writer, director, and actor Yvan Attal takes another look at the ups and downs of love and monogamy in this biting romantic comedy. Vincent (Yvan Attal), Fred (Alain Cohen), and Georges (Alain Chabat) are three Parisian men in their early forties who are coming to the unfortunate realization that their love lives are not what they dreamed of in their youth. Vincent is married to Gabrielle (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and while there's still some spark left in their marriage, it usually appears only after an argument. Vincent is having a furtive affair with a beautiful woman (Angie David), while Gabrielle is tempted to do the same when a handsome man in a record shop (Johnny Depp) begins silently flirting with her. Fred is the bachelor of the group, and seems to have an endless parade of women passing through his bedroom, but no one misses the fact that he longs for the sort of long-term relationship that has so far evaded him. And Georges is reaching the end of his rope with his wife, Nathalie (Emmanuelle Seigner), an abrasive feminist who insists on making every aspect of their lives a political matter, but lacking the courage to break up with her, Georges deals with his feelings in the traditional manner -- he buys a new car. Happily Ever After was Attal's first project as writer and director after his international hit Ma Femme Est une Actrice. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An overheard conversation leads a woman into a dark world of deadly intrigue in this political thriller. Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is an African émigré who works as an interpreter at the United Nations. One of the languages she understands is Ku, a dialect spoken in her home country of Matobo. One day, as the General Assembly auditorium is being evacuated for a routine security sweep, Broome overhears a man speaking in Ku, who makes a cryptic statement that could be interpreted as a threat against the life of Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), Matobo's controversial ruler. Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) is brought in to investigate Broome's story, and it isn't long before he's convinced that she knows more than she's willing to tell. As Keller and his partner, Dot Woods (Catherine Keener), dig deeper into Broome's story as well as her past, they discover a shocking tale of violence and corruption tied to Zuwanie's regime. The Interpreter was directed by Sydney Pollack, who also appears in a brief supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide