Lola Naymark Movies
- 2009
A daring band of rebels take on Nazi forces in Europe in this wartime drama from director Robert Guediguian. Born in Armenia, Missak Manouchian (Simon Abkarian) had settled in France by the time World War II broke out; a socialist who stood in fierce opposition to the Axis forces occupying his country, he and a handful of other leftists formed the FTP-MOI, a faction of the French Resistance comprised of immigrants who came to France before the war. Working beside Manouchian was his wife Melinee (Virginie Ledoyen), a poet turned underground fighter; Marcel (Robinson Stevenin), a Jewish volunteer who is an excellent shot with a rifle, and Thomas (Gregory Leprince-Ringuet), a passionate Marxist with a skill for making bombs. Along with several other activists, the FTP-MOI wage a propaganda campaign against the Nazis while targeting selected Axis leaders for execution. But despite their cunning and talent, Manouchian and his partners find it difficult to keep their work a secret, and in time they're found out by a ruthless detective (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) with the Vichy police. L'Armee du Crime (aka The Army Of Crime) was based on the true story of a French resistance group dubbed "the Army of Crime" in Vichy propaganda pieces. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simon Abkarian, Virginie Ledoyen, (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)
Claire (Lola Naymark of Monsieur Ibrahim) is a teenager who works as a supermarket cashier. She has moved out of her family's home and into a small apartment, partly because she doesn't get along with her parents, and partly because she doesn't want them to find out that she's pregnant. When co-workers begin to comment on her weight gain, Claire tells them she has cancer, and asks for medical leave. While staying with her girlfriend's family, Claire learns that her girlfriend's scarred brother, Guillaume (Thomas Laroppe), was in a motorbike accident, in which his best friend was killed. Guillaume is despondent and has decided to go abroad. Since Claire is looking for work, and has an interest in embroidery, she goes to visit the mother of Guillaume's dead friend. After some hesitation, Madame Mélikian (Ariane Ascaride of The Town Is Quiet) hires Claire to replace her late son as her assistant. Madame Mélikian has a successful business and a wealth of knowledge to pass on to the young woman, but she's nearly paralyzed by her grief. Still, the two eventually form a unique bond. Brodeuses, or Sequins, is the first feature film directed by Éléonore Faucher, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gaëlle Macé. It was shown at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and was selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art for inclusion in the 2005 edition of New Directors/New Films. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lola Naymark, Ariane Ascaride, (more)
A boy from a broken home finds a friend in an insular, spiritual shopkeeper in this period drama from writer/director François Dupeyron. Set in 1960s Paris, Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran revolves around Momo (Pierre Boulanger), a young man who lives alone with his father in the bustling Rue Bleu district. Still smarting over the separation from his wife and other son, Momo's dad neglects his son in ways both minor and major, to the point where the teen spends most of his time out of school alone and isolated. He finds an unlikely ally in Monsieur Ibrahim (Omar Sharif), a Muslim shopkeeper who spends most of his days behind the counter of his store reading the Koran. As time passes, Momo and Ibrahim begin to bring each other out of his respective shell, sharing a series of everyday adventures, culminating in Momo's indoctrination into Ibrahim's faith. Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran played the Toronto and Venice film festivals; at the latter, Sharif was given a lifetime achievement award for this and the rest of his career's work. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Sharif, Pierre Boulanger, (more)
