Bernard Ballet Movies

One man's desire to better himself and improve his family's station in life has dire and unexpected consequences in this realistic thriller. Pierre (Gerald Laroche) is a worker in a glass factory whose small stature and quiet demeanor do not disguise the fact that he wants his wife Carole (Luce Mouchel) and son Victor (Bastien Le Roy) to have the good things in life, and he's not afraid to work hard to get them. When Pierre learns that a position is open on the plant's night shift that would pay better, he requests to be transferred, but he soon discovers that the late-shift staff is a different breed than the co-workers he's used to -- especially Fred (Marc Barbe), a large and arrogant man who alternately glad-hands Pierre for his friendship and treats him with contempt. Pierre takes great pains to be civil with Fred, but when Pierre gets a promotion and Fred does not, Fred explodes with rage, and the two find themselves in a vicious argument that stops just short of a fist fight. Before long, Pierre finds himself back in Fred's good graces, and the other workers are friendlier with him, even offering to help Pierre with a home improvement project. But in time Pierre discovers that what looks like friendship is actually part of a sinister and carefully orchestrated attempt on Fred's part to get revenge. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This affectionate little drama captures the last summer before graduation, when these assorted film students and drama students must leave the protected world of college and venture out into the chaotic currents of everyday life. All of them are working together to prepare a revue which spoofs and celebrates their work together. Each student has his own style and character - often chosen for maximum dramatic impact. For instance, Paul (Pierre Berriau) is permanently gloomy, and mopes around, invariably wearing a long coat. The others make fun of him, because he is so serious. Charly (Nathalie Richard) loyally helps a male friend of hers rid himself of the insistent attentions of a former girlfriend. Caroline (Charlotte Leo) is the romantic one of the bunch, and her adventures along those lines keep her fully occupied. Several of them insist that they will not compromise the purity of their cinematic and theatrical aspirations for mere monetary comfort, but when Luc (Lucas Belvaux) and Nanou (Christine Vouilloz) find that Nanou is pregnant, they reconsider their absolutist stance. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Uranus is set in a post-war French village that has been all but obliterated by the bombing. Jean-Pierre Marielle plays a middle-class family man who agrees to shelter many of those who've lost their homes. The polyglot of political beliefs held by these new tenants sows the seeds of discontent. The most vocal of the town's dissidents are the Communists, who terrify everyone with threats of turning in collaborators to the French Forces of the Interior. The only person in town afraid of no one is hulking innkeeper Gerard Depardieu, whose ultimate death uncovers much of the hypocrisy disguising itself as patriotism in the village. While never exactly sympathizing with the collaborators, Uranus is careful to point out that the "unofficial" executions of these unfortunates was no more morally acceptable than the Nazi invasion that encouraged collaboration in the first place. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A young couple who are amateur roller-skating buffs practice their chosen avocation at a Parisian roller rink. Their hopes rise with a chance to go to Chicago to compete, especially when a magazine reporter assures them that his company will back them -- but then lets them know some sex-related business is a part of the package. Caught up in the couple's drama are several other characters who look like they might need some help themselves, making the problem of how to get to the Windy City seem more and more insoluble. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi