Daniel Leconte Movies

Charlie Hebdo is a satirical news magazine published weekly in France; the magazine has a richly earned reputation for confronting authority in all forms, but in 2006 they generated controversy on a whole new level when they reprinted a dozen editorial cartoons, originally created for a Danish paper, which offered visual interpretations of the Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic faith forbids graven images, and many Muslims regard drawing or painting the prophet as blasphemy; after the cartoons inspired angry protests and death threats by Islamic extremists, the editors of Charlie Hebdo were hit with a lawsuit filed jointly by the Great Mosque of Paris, the Union of Islamic Organizations of France and the World Muslim League, who charged the magazine with defamation, claiming they published "public insults against a group of people because they belong to a religion". To the surprise of no one, publisher Philippe Val vigorously fought the charges, championing the rights of a free press, warning of the precedent set by banning the magazine, and claiming that since Charlie Hebdo criticized nearly all organized religions, Islam wasn't being singled out. Filmmaker Daniel Leconte followed the Charlie Hebdo trial, and C'est Dur D'etre Aime par des Cons (aka It's Hard Being Loved By Jerks) is a documentary which examines the legal skirmish in France over the Dutch cartoons and how both sides presented their case in court. It's Hard Being Loved By Jerks was screened as a Special Presentation at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Tensions arise in the household of a bourgeois architect and his young wife when they hire a young peasant girl as a wet nurse for their newborn daughter, and a friendship blossoms between the two women despite class differences. Set in 1877, A Song of Innocence opens to find Julien (Gregoire Colin) and his wife Charlotte (Emilie Dequenne) welcoming their infant daughter home. It was a difficult delivery for Charlotte, and since ambitious Julien is always away at work, the couple agree to bring in Angele-Marie (Islid Le Besco) as a wet nurse. Disappointed at having a girl, Julien plans to try for a male heir as soon as possible, despite the fact that Charlotte isn't sure she wants to have anymore children. The mood in their household is already strained when, in Julien's absence, Charlotte and Angele-Marie discover that they have more in common than either woman expected. Just days before going to work for Charlotte and Julien, Angele-Marie gave birth to her own child, quickly sending her baby off with another wet nurse so she could earn a decent wage as a wet nurse to the wealthy couple. But Julien makes no attempt to hide his distain for the relationship between the two women, and it isn't long before the situation threatens to turn violent. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi