Philippe Jacquier Movies
Three French-Algerian brothers deal with their grief following the death of their mother in their own different ways in this drama. Marc (Nicolas Cazale) is a angry and confused young man obsessed with drugs, working out, and capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts discipline. The only friendship that makes Marc feel secure is his relationship with his dog, and when Marc falls behind in his payments to his drug connection Montana (Nicolas Paz), the dealer takes revenge in an especially painful manner. Christophe (Stephane Rideau), Marc's older brother, has just completed a stay in prison and is trying to put his life back together through hard work and capoeira while urging Marc to stay on the straight and narrow. However, Christophe is unable to convince his father (Bruno Lochet) to forgive him for falling to the wrong side of the law while his mother was dying. And Olivier (Thomas Dumerchez), the youngest of the three siblings, feels lost amidst the agony and mourning of his household until he becomes involved with Marc's friend Hicham (Salim Kechiouche), who teaches him the finer points of capoeira and allows him to accept his homosexual nature. Le Clan was released in the United States as Three Dancing Slaves, a reference to the dance-oriented art of capoeira. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cazalé, Stephane Rideau, (more)
- 2002
Directed by Christo Honore, 17 fois Cecile Cassard stars Beatrice Dalle as Cecile, who is having a terrible time getting over the accidental death of her husband, Thierry (Jerome Kircher). Hoping to find solace, Cecile drives to Toulouse and rents a room in a seamy hotel. Within days, Cecile has succeeded in attracting a bevy of gay men and sexually-charged young boys. Though they succeed in offering Cecile some much needed companionship, it isn't until she meets Matthieu (Romain Duris), who offers to father her child, that she believes herself to have found a second soulmate.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Béatrice Dalle, Romain Duris, (more)
- 2002
Kiju Yoshida's drama Kagami No Onnatachi (Women in the Mirror) is stylistically similar to the works of Yasujiro Ozu. Natsuki (Sae Issiki) lives with her grandmother (Mariko Okada). Natsuki has never seen her mother, who walked out of the hospital after giving birth. A woman named Masako (Yoshiko Tanaka) is arrested for kidnapping. Masako suffers from amnesia, and soon it is learned that she is Natsuki's mother. The drama lies in their reunion. Women in the Mirror was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mariko Okada, Yoshiko Tanaka, (more)
