Said Ben Said Movies
- 2008
A hit man and his victim strike an unusual bargain in this thriller from France. Leo Zimmerman (Gilbert Melki) is a middle-aged financial analyst with a loving wife, Sylvia (Sophie Cattani) and a young daughter who has just turned eight. But Leo also has some secrets, and his under-the-counter business dealings have earned him some powerful enemies who have retained the services of Kopas (Gregoire Colin), a hired killer whose next project is to murder Leo. Kopas stops by Leo's office to learn a little bit about his target before pulling the trigger, and the two men discover they have a lot in common. It doesn't take long for Leo to find out what line of work Kopas is in, and when he discovers Kopas has been hired to take his life, Leo asks a small favor -- to be given a few days to raise a nest egg for his little girl. Kopas goes along with the deal, but only under the condition that if Leo doesn't give himself in by their new deadline, both he and his daughter will die. Le Tueur (aka The Killer) was the first feature film from writer and director Cedric Anger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2008
A man is shot dead, but is the woman with the gun really the killer? That's the all-important question in this thriller from France. Henri Pages (Pierre Arditi) is a successful politician who with his wife Elaine (Miou-Miou) has invited an eclectic group of guests to their country home for a weekend get-together. Joining Henri and Elaine are Pierre Collier (Lambert Wilson), a prominent psychoanalyst; his unhappy wife Claire (Anne Consigny); Pierre's lover Esther (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi), an artist; Lea (Caterina Murino), an exhibitionistic actress who was once involved with Pierre; Philippe (Mathieu Demy), a straight-laced writer; and Marthe (Celine Sallette), a beautiful woman given to severe mood swings. Henri has a large collection of guns, and while Pierre is enjoying a swim, he's shot to death with one of the rare firearms. While Claire is holding the murder weapon when the body is found, police detective Lieutenant Grange (Maurice Benichou) isn't so certain he has an open and shut case on his hands, and begins looking into the many people who have a reason for wanting Pierre out of the picture. Grange's investigation becomes even more challenging when Lea makes it clear she's sexually attracted to him. Le Grand Alibi (aka The Great Alibi) was adapted from the novel The Hollow, a Hercule Poirot mystery by Agatha Christie. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miou-Miou, Lambert Wilson, (more)
The early days of the AIDS crisis in France provides the backdrop for this powerful, life-affirming drama from writer and director André Téchiné. It's 1984, and Mehdi (Sami Bouajila) is a police detective who, unbeknownst to his wife Sarah (Emmanuelle Béart), is a bisexual who has occasional trysts with men. Mehdi and Sarah are proud parents of a new baby, but to Mehdi's chagrin, Sarah doesn't seem the least bit concerned about her responsibilities as a mom. Manu (Johan Libereau) is a handsome young man who shares a flat with his sister Julie (Julie Depardieu), who is struggling to make a career as an opera singer. And Adrien (Michel Blanc) is a middle-aged doctor and close friend of Sarah who occasionally picks up younger men in the park, and nearly seduces Manu one evening. Adrien joins Sarah and Mehdi for an idyllic weekend at the beach, where Manu once again crosses his path; however, Manu also meets Mehdi when he saves the detective from drowning, and the two soon become lovers. Several months later, Manu has discovered he's contracted a strange and deadly new disease doctors are calling AIDS, which has a dramatic impact on many of the people he knows. Mehdi has confessed his infidelity to Sarah, and they wait to find out if they also have AIDS, while Adrien is devoting most of his days to treating Manu and other young men who are wasting away under the effects of the illness, and Julie helps to care for her dying brother. The Witnesses (aka Les Témoins) received its premiere at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Blanc, Emmanuelle Béart, (more)
- 2006
A down-and-out sleight-of-hand artist tries to pull off the trick of a lifetime by keeping a decaying cabaret in business in this comedy-drama with music from director Thierry Klifa. Gabriel Stern (Claude Brasseur) has spent over four decades running the Blue Parrot, a Parisian nightclub where he regularly appeared in a drag act as "Gabriella." One evening, a weary Gabriel asks his friend and confidante Nicky (Gerard Lanvin), a magician who regularly appears on the Blue Parrot's stage, to finish closing up the club so he can go home. Nicky agrees, and the next morning he gets the sad news that Gabriel died in his sleep. Gabriel's son and daughter, both in their thirties, come to Paris to handle the funeral details -- Nino (Michael Cohen), a gay accountant who brings along his younger lover (Pierrick Lilliu), and Marianne (Geraldine Pailhas), who edits a well-known magazine for women. Also on hand are Simone (Miou-Miou), Gabriel's ex-wife, Marianne's mother and Nicky's former co-star; Alice (Catherine Deneuve), another of Gabiriel's exes who's also Nino's mom; and a number of the regular performers at the club. When Gabriel's will is read, to the surprise of many the ownership of the Blue Parrot is handed over to Nino and Marianne; the two have no interest in running a nightspot and announce the place is up for sale. Nicky wants to keep the Blue Parrot open, but doesn't have the money to buy the club, even though Gabriel's ghost frequently visits him, imploring him to find a way to prevent it from closing. Le Heros de la Famille (aka Family Hero also stars Emmanuelle Beart and Valerie Lemercier as members of the club's stable of regular performers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Lanvin, Catherine Deneuve, (more)
- 2001
Veteran filmmaker Andre Techine takes DV camera in hand and directs this gritty romantic drama about a Moroccan truck driver and the girl he loves. Serge hauls goods -- both legal and illegal -- from North Africa to Spain. Spent mostly on the road, on ferries, or in customs offices, his life is highly structured, having to hand the right forms and bribes to customs officials and deliver goods to the proper locations. His personal life is less ordered. He is fatally attracted to Sarah, a beautiful Moroccan Jew who is dealing with the recent death of her mother and the arrival of her brother who wants her to return to Canada with him. Desperate to see her once again, Serge strikes a deal with a young lad named Said. If Said arranges a meeting between him and Sarah, then Serge will smuggle Said across the border into Europe. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephane Rideau, Lubna Azabal, (more)
