Stephane Malandrin Movies
- 2006
A man with a checkered past tries to mend his broken relationship with his son in this low-key drama from Belgium. Jacques (Jacky Lambert) is a man in his early forties who has a son but barely knows him; not long after Roland (Robin Weerts) was born, Jacques was sent to prison and he hasn't seen his boy since. Now that Jacques is a free man again, he longs to be a positive presence in Roland's life, and approaches his foster father (Jean-Pierre Weerts) about taking the boy on a trip to the South of France. As Roland's guardian ponders the wisdom of this, Jacques tries to reconnect with Anne (Olga Grumberg), his former girlfriend and the child's mother. However, Jacques learns that Anne was neglectful of Roland and doesn't seem to have any interest at all in the welfare of their son. Ca m'est egal si demain n'arrive pas (aka I Don't Care Of Tomorrow Never Comes) was screened in competition at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacky Lambert, Olga Grumberg, (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)
