Valerie Lemaitre Movies
- 2006
A man who has regained his life falls for a woman who has lost her identity in this offbeat comedy/drama from Belgium. Peter de Wit (Arno) suffered a severe heart attack and was declared dead at a hospital in Brussels, but while no one is looking he comes to in the morgue, shaken but little worse for wear. Swiping the clothes and wallet of fellow deceased patient, Peter treats himself to a night on the town, and while dining at a Chinese restaurant, he meets Lucie (Valerie Le Maitre), a performance artist. Lucie was debuting a new piece earlier in the evening, but after paying a visit to her mother she was sexually assaulted by Edouard (Francois Negret), her former boyfriend, and she's had a delayed reaction to the trauma that has left her with temporary amnesia. As Lucie tries to recall who she really is, Peter is having a splendid time being someone else for the evening, but can either put much stock in their mutual attraction given the circumstances? Komma was the first feature film from writer and director Martine Doyen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arno, Valerie Lemaitre, (more)
- 2004
One man finds himself pulled in three directions at once by his family and a chance acquaintance in this breakneck comedy. Miguel (Jacques Gamblin) is a single parent and Spanish expatriate living in Belgium who has to deal with a young daughter, Laura (Raphaelle Molinier), his busybody mother, Abuelita (Carmen Maura), and his pushy brother, Juan (Pedro Romero). Miguel works for Juan's travel agency as a courier and errand boy. Shortly after sending Laura off to school, Juan gets an urgent call from Miguel and he has to head to the airport. En route, Miguel gets caught in a traffic jam and encounters Sonia (Ingeborga Dapkunaite), an illegal alien from the Ukraine who is on the run from police after being freed from custody by a group of activists. Sonia has been searching for her boyfriend who disappeared in Belgium a year ago, and after much haranguing Miguel agrees to help her, but that's before he gets word from Abuelita that an accident has sent his daughter to the hospital. Fortunately Laura's injuries are minor, but once Laura and Abuelita hear Sonia's story, they decide to drop everything to help her find her man with Miguel along for the ride, regardless of Juan's feelings about the matter (or Miguel's, for that matter). 25 Degres en Hiver was the first feature film from writer and director Stéphane Vuillet. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carmen Maura, Jacques Gamblin, (more)
- 2003
The psychological thriller Dedales (Labyrinth), written and directed by René Manzor, concerns a psychiatrist treating a serial killer. Frederic Diefenthal portrays a police investigator with ESP who eventually plays a part in arresting Claude (Sylvie Testud), an unhinged woman who allows random chance to dictate her actions. Investigators believe Claude has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 30 people. When her first psychiatrist (Michel Duchaussoy) is unable to make headway, he brings in his colleague Brennac (Lambert Wilson). Brennac eventually discovers the key to his patient's split personalities, many of which have a basis in Greek mythology, but the surprising ending alters the audience's perceptions of what has happened in the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lambert Wilson, Sylvie Testud, (more)
