Marc Rioufol Movies

One man's wealth, privilege, and power lead him into a world of danger and humiliation in this drama from director Lucas Belvaux. Stanislas Graff (Yvan Attal) is one of Belgium's richest men, a business magnate and trusted confidante of the nation's president. One morning, en route to his office, Graff's limousine is set upon by a handful of kidnappers; they capture the tycoon, throw him in a get-away car, and take him to a cave on the edge of town. The kidnappers, led by a man calling himself Marseillais (Gérard Meylan), contact Graff's wife (Anne Consigny), his lawyer (Alex Descas), and the second-in-command at his firm (André Marcon) and demand a ransom of 50 million Euros for his return -- and to show they mean business, the kidnappers include Graff's severed finger with the ransom note. As Graff's family and associates ponder what to do next, many close to him question if his life or anyone's is worth that much money; meanwhile, as the press rushes the abduction into the headlines, they reveal a number of Graff's personal peccadillos, including affairs with other women and a powerful appetite for gambling, and public opinion about the businessman takes an ugly turn. Inspired by the 1978 abduction of French multi-millionaire Édouard-Jean Empain, Rapt was an official selection at the 2010 Rotterdam International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Imprisoned by his past and unable to cope with the loneliness that permeates every aspect of his life, an HIV-afflicted 58-year-old man seals himself up from the world in order to embark on an inward journey in director Jacques Nolot's existential drama. Pierre is desperate to move past the suffering and overcome an unshakable case of writer's block. After ingesting some psychotropic substances in hopes that it will help to clear his mind, Pierre learns that an old friend who had ostensibly stood him up for a lunch appointment has in fact died. In the following days, this desperate lost soul will be forced to contend with the law, meet with a few long-lost friends, and make one last effort to fulfill his greatest fantasies with the help of a kindly gigolo. Perhaps Pierre's primary problem is that he was born of the wrong gender. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Marina de Van, a frequent collaborator of director François Ozon's (she co-wrote several films with him, in addition to starring in See the Sea and Sitcom), makes her feature directorial debut with In My Skin, which she also wrote. De Van stars in the film as Esther, a self-conscious young woman who works for a public relations firm. Her life seems to be going well. Her boyfriend, Vincent (Laurent Lucas of With a Friend Like Harry...), wants to live with her. At work, she's in line for a promotion and the opportunity to run a prestigious campaign for a jewelry company. One night at a party with her friend, Sandrine (Léa Drucker), Esther wanders into the backyard and stumbles, scratching her leg on a piece of scrap metal. She goes back to the party, and later realizes that her injury is much more severe than she had thought. There's a huge, ugly gouge all the way up her shin, and she's bleeding profusely. She goes to a doctor, who patches her up and tells her she might need a skin graft. But Esther becomes obsessed with the wound. She won't let it heal, sneaking away during work to cut herself. As her leg becomes an ugly scarred mass, she begins to notice a problem with her arm. Before long, she's alienated Vincent and jeopardized her job with her compulsive, self-destructive behavior. But she continues on her grotesque downward spiral. In My Skin was shown at Lincoln Center in New York as part of their 2003 Rendez-vous with French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi