Valérie Donzelli Movies

The relationship between a dutiful wife and her incarcerated husband grows increasingly complicated with the arrival of a curious third party in director Jean-Pascal Hattu's emotional take on a most unusual love triangle. Maïté (Valérie Donzelli)'s imposing Mediterranean husband Vincent (Bruno Todeschini) is currently locked-up behind bars. Though the loving wife does indeed visit her jailed husband on a regular basis, her commitment to a monogamous relationship is drawn into question as Maïté slowly becomes involved in an intimate affair with meek prison guard Jean (Cyril Troley). Though initially put off by the advances of the soft-spoken Jean, Maïté soon finds her motherly instincts taking hold as she earns her keep as a part-time babysitter and eventually allows her fragile emotional guard to be broken. When Maïté learns that her newfound lover is recording their encounters for the benefit of Vincent - who has explicitly enlisted the aid of Jean in doing so - the motivations of all three are drawn into question while Maïté weighs her sense of fidelity against her inherent need for sexual gratification. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Originally shown on French television, the erotic drama Sous Mes Yeux (Right Under My Eyes) is the sophomore effort from writer/director Virginie Wagon (one of the screenwriters of The Dreamlife of Angels). Young computer enthusiast Liam (Jean-Baptiste Montagut) runs Liam.com, a website that runs a streaming video of his every action captured on a webcam. He lives a reclusive life temporarily staying in a friend's apartment in Paris until waitress Alison (Valérie Donzelli) and her British husband, James (Hugh Bonneville), move in. Liam and Alison share revealing conversation while James watches it online at work. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

One woman's instability begins to take a toll on her loved ones in this drama. Given to severe mood swings and poorly considered snap judgements, Martha (Valerie Donzelli) is hardly an ideal mother to her six-year-old daughter Lise (Lucie Regnier), and while her husband Reymond (Yann Goven) is loving and sympathetic, he isn't sure what to do for her. Reymond makes a meager income selling used clothing at a flea market, and Martha is hard put to support the family's budget on what he earns. Martha has a checkered past and a less than cordial relationship with her family, and when he decides to visit her parents, they coldly tell her they were hoping her sister Marie (Lydia Andrei), currently living in Spain, had stopped by instead. Stung by the incident, Martha decides she wants to talk to her sister, and she drags Reymond and Lise along for a Spanish vacation they can ill afford. As it turns out, Marie and her husband Juan (Javier Cruz) aren't much happier to see Martha than her parents were, and a night out at a restaurant turns into a bitter quarrel when Martha's neuroses get the better of her. After the incident, Martha goes missing for a few days, and upon her return Reymond learns that Martha allowed herself to be picked up by a pair of strange men -- and was forcibly violated for her troubles. Martha ... Martha was screened as part of the Director's Fortnight series at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide