Isild Le Besco Movies

An aimless adolescent who hasn't yet found his way in life befriends an outspoken and slightly older prostitute in director Islid Le Besco's frugally plotted but emotionally resonant sophomore feature. Fourteen year-old Nicolas (Kolia Litscher) is an average student who just can't seem to identify with his geriatric foster parents. One day, after discovering a play by Wedekind, the cheerless and solitary boy begins to feel a powerful force swelling somewhere deep inside. Though he has little idea of where life's journeys will take him or what he will become as an adult, Nicolas steals some money and begins hitchhiking his way to the coast - the image of the Belle-lle-en-Mer on the postcard he uses as a bookmark seeming to summon him to the sea. Somewhere along the way, Nicloas becomes stranded and crosses paths with a young prostitute named Charly. Charly isn't much older than Nicolas, yet her identity already seems fairly well established and she never hesitates to speak her mind. Nicolas lacks vision and words, yet Charly seems to have both in abundance; their differences seeming to bring them much closer than their similarities ever could. Now, as these newfound friends begin to rehearse the play, a mysterious writer appears to contribute some original lines of dialogue. In the course of this creative process, the young boy who once lacked ambition gradually begins to make the transition into adulthood. Much like 2004's Demi-Tariff - Le Besco's first film as a director - Charly is something of a family affair: In addition to his brother Jowan assuming the role of cinematographer, Litscher, the youngest member of the family, steps into the title role. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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, Rovi

An illicit summer romance threatens deadly repercussions for a bored but beautiful teen in directors Christophe Ali and Nicolas Boinilauri's tense erotic thriller. Camille is a spontaneous-minded teen spending her summer at a rural camp. Blaise is an ex-convict haunted by violent nightmares and tormented by the invisible barriers that separate him from his estranged wife and children. When Blaise accepts a job as a sailing instructor at the camp that is run by his brother-in-law Eddie, the scorn inflicted upon him by the cruel young campers threatens to shatter his already fragile emotions. Camille is different from the other campers though. Despite his best efforts to resist the charms of the radiant young nubile, Blaise soon finds his repressed capacity for life suddenly awakened by Camille's sincere and unguarded affections. As the unlikely couple each allow themselves to fall under the other's mysterious allure, the tragic consequences of their tryst threaten to destroy the lives of all involved. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Tensions arise in the household of a bourgeois architect and his young wife when they hire a young peasant girl as a wet nurse for their newborn daughter, and a friendship blossoms between the two women despite class differences. Set in 1877, A Song of Innocence opens to find Julien (Gregoire Colin) and his wife Charlotte (Emilie Dequenne) welcoming their infant daughter home. It was a difficult delivery for Charlotte, and since ambitious Julien is always away at work, the couple agree to bring in Angele-Marie (Islid Le Besco) as a wet nurse. Disappointed at having a girl, Julien plans to try for a male heir as soon as possible, despite the fact that Charlotte isn't sure she wants to have anymore children. The mood in their household is already strained when, in Julien's absence, Charlotte and Angele-Marie discover that they have more in common than either woman expected. Just days before going to work for Charlotte and Julien, Angele-Marie gave birth to her own child, quickly sending her baby off with another wet nurse so she could earn a decent wage as a wet nurse to the wealthy couple. But Julien makes no attempt to hide his distain for the relationship between the two women, and it isn't long before the situation threatens to turn violent. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Actress Isild Le Besco (Girls Can't Swim) makes her feature debut as a director with Demi-Tarif (Half-Price). The movie, shot on digital video on a miniscule budget, garnered attention in its native France after renowned filmmaker Chris Marker compared the experience of seeing it to the experience he and his friends had upon seeing Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless for the first time. Demi-Tarif follows the low-key adventures of three young siblings, Romeo (Kolia Litscher), Launa (Lila Salet), and the youngest, Leo (Cindy David), left on their own in a rundown Paris apartment. One of them narrates, wistfully explaining how their mother abandoned them and calls them once in a while to see how they are doing or tell them she loves them. The three kids do as they please, roaming the streets, running out of restaurants without paying for food, and shoplifting from the local grocery store. They eat whatever and whenever they want, gorging themselves on sweets. They beg for change on the Metro and show up late for school in tattered, dirty clothes. All the while, they try to keep the fact that they are alone a secret from the world of adults. Demi-Tarif had its U.S. premiere at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

French filmmaker Philippe Le Guay writes and directs the ensemble comedy Le Cout de la Vie (The Cost of Living). Set in the city of Lyon over a period of a few days, the film reveals people's relationship to money through the intersecting lives of several characters. Fabrice Luchini plays the wealthy Brett, who likes to hang on tightly to his money, while Vincent Lindon plays the generous Coway, who has spent way more than he earns. Geraldine Pailhas plays Helena, a high-class escort with expensive tastes, while Isild Le Besco plays a down-to-earth young heiress who cares more about love than money. Meanwhile powerful businessman Nicolas de Blamond (Claude Rich) puts loads of people out of work when he shuts down his factories after he learns of his failing heath. The Cost of Living was shown at the 2003 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

When an indistinct woman named Charlotte (Isabelle Adjani) leaves a train station in hopes of changing her life forever, she's followed by a mysterious stranger with ill intentions. After recovering a bag hidden adeptly within the women's bathroom, Charlotte re-enters the station, this time looking every inch the femme fatale, from her tailored suit to her dark glasses. When she buys a ticket to another destination, however, the man follows her onboard, determined to prevent her from starting anew. Directed by Laetitia Masson, La Repentie also features Sami Frey, Samy Naceri, Dawn Clement, Maria Schneider, and Jacques Bonnafe. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

A girl discovers her mysterious new boyfriend has a lot more secrets than she expected in this drama inspired by a true story. Lea (Isild Le Besco) is a 16-year-old student who is on summer vacation from school when she meets a man named Kurt (Stefano Cassetti), who appears to be at least ten years her senior. Despite the difference in their ages, Lea grows fond of the shy and sometimes awkward Kurt, and a romance blooms between the two, with Kurt often meeting Lea at her family's summer home in the mountains. Despite their affection for each other, Kurt proves to be a singularly uninterested and unsatisfying lover, but that soon proves to be the least of Lea's worries after she learns that her boyfriend is actually Roberto Succo, a notorious criminal wanted for robbery, assault, murder, and rape. While Lea isn't sure what to do about this at first, it doesn't take long for her to decide it's time to end their relationship; Roberto isn't especially happy about this, but Lea's resolve is strengthened when she learns that his murder victims included a number of people who were closest to him, among them his parents. Finally, Lea decides to inform the police about Roberto's whereabouts, but it turns out to be too late -- Roberto has hit the road, and kidnapped the first of several women in a bid to get out of the country before the law can catch him. Roberto Succo is based on a book about the real-life criminal of the same name; while the film stays true to the facts about Succo's crimes, it adds a number of characters who are either fictionalized versions of real people or inventions of the screenwriter created as a narrative convenience. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

French filmmaker Anne-Sophie Birot makes her writing and directing debut with the coming-of-age drama Les Filles Ne Savent Pas Nager, given the unfortunate English title Girls Can't Swim. Every year, Gwen (Isild Le Besco) meets up with her best friend Lise (Karen Alyx) for a summer on the beach in Brittany. Since Gwen has grown into a reckless teenager and her parents are experiencing financial problems, this year is decidedly different. She develops an interest in sex, starts dating Frédo (Julien Cottereau), and looks for other boys to fool around with. Her dad, Alain (Pascal Elso), sells his boat, her mom, Céline (Pascale Bussières), starts working to support the family, and, worst of all, Lise doesn't come to the beach. Meanwhile, back in the city, Lise finds out her absent father has died, which causes much grief to her mother (Marie Rivière) and older sisters (Yelda Reynaud and Sandrine Blancke). Having never met her father and wanting to escape her family's trauma, she travels by herself to Brittany. Without telling anyone what's bothering her, Lise is pensive and brooding while Gwen is thirsty for adventure, leading to a major fight between the two girls. With Gwen running around on her own and Céline at work, Lise and Alain are left to form an unlikely friendship, which takes a dark turn and leads to a tragic conclusion. Girls Can't Swim premiered at the 2000 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi