Vincent Rottiers Movies
- 2008
A confidence man stumbles into a scam that's not only lucrative but might actually help people in this comedy-drama inspired by a true story. Paul (Francois Cluzet) is a minor league swindler who after getting out of jail finds himself in a small town in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, where the economy has been in the doldrums ever since a major road construction project was abandoned. Paul tries to pull a small scale con on someone while posing as a representative of a large construction firm, and when word gets around that one of the company's men is in town, word spreads that the highway project is on again, and local subcontractors are eager to give Paul cash payments to be part of the job. Soon Paul is managing a big road building operation, even though he doesn't know the first thing about construction, and a number of men who've been out of work for months are on his payroll. Paul also find himself working side by side with the town's mayor, a lovely widow named Stephane (Emmanuelle Devos), and the two drift into a romance, but how long can Paul keep up this game before he's found out? A L'origine (aka In The Beginning) also stars Gerard Depardieu, Vincent Rottiers and Soko. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Soko, François Cluzet, (more)
- 2007
The brutal legacy of the Algerian war forms the heart of filmmaker Florent Emilio Siri's stark period drama concerning a young French soldier confronted by the horrors of war. Lieutenant Terrien (Benoît Magimel) has been dispatched to one of the most remote regions of Algeria to replace an officer who was killed in a recent skirmish. But this war is much more complicated than Lieutenant Terrien ever anticipated, and before long he is forced to confront a World War II French Army veteran willing to kill the soldiers with whom he once served in order to secure the independence of his birthplace. When the fellaghas (Algerian national fighters) massacre an entire village in retaliation for a visit from the French, Lieutenant Terrien vows to remain calm and professional despite the unspeakable horrors that greet him with each passing day. On the other side of the coin is battle-hardened Sergeant Dougnac (Albert Dupontel), a soldier who has seen more than his fair share of combat and stands firm in the belief that this brand of brutality can only be confronted with equal measures of barbarity. Later, Lieutenant Terrien meets a young boy who miraculously survived the massacre of his village and is forced to see the conflict through the innocent eyes of a child. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benoît Magimel, Albert Dupontel, (more)
- 2005
Richard Dembo's third directorial effort, La Maison De Nina, concerns a group of Jewish children living in an orphanage in Paris at the end of WWII. Soon there is an influx of children at the orphanage whose parents did not survive the concentration camps. Eventually those newcomers and the orphans who already lived there are feuding over the importance of their Jewish heritage. The children must deal with their grief in a variety of ways including religion, music, and one poor child by deciding to not talk. Dembo, an Oscar winner in 1984, passed away while the film was in post-production. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Agnès Jaoui, Sarah Adler, (more)
- 2002
Directed by Christophe Ruggia, Les Diables (The Devils) chronicles the struggle of an autistic girl and her brother trying to survive without their parents. Chloe (Adele Haenel) is 13, and has been profoundly damaged from a life of abandonment -- so much so that she refuses to be to be physically touched, and never speaks. Her brother, Joseph (Vincent Rottiers), despite being slightly younger, has taken a fiercely protective stance with his sister. Street-smart and wiser than his years, Joseph hopes that they'll eventually find a family who will take them both in. Though their situation forces them to steal, the authorities catch them and leave the two siblings inside of a home for disturbed youth. At first, Joseph tries to escape, but puts his plans on hold when it looks as if a doctor is making progress with Chloe. Eventually, however, fights with the other orphans and a shocking piece of news force the children to go on the run once more. Les Diables was extremely well-received at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adele Haenel, Vincent Rottiers, (more)
