Claire Nebout Movies

A wealthy woman owns an exclusive private boarding school off the coast of England, where young men are taught in French and English, becoming completely fluent. In general, the school is exactly what it purports to be, but the owner selects some of her young scholarship students for special educational opportunities. In short, she carefully prepares them for initiation into sexuality, which generally pleases them as much as it does her. This summer, one of the scholarship students stays behind and, with the collusion of the school's skeleton staff, begins his extracurricular education with the dissolute headmistress. However, this year, the boy she has chosen has some philosophical qualms which must be addressed even if it endangers her life, and his. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This sumptuous French drama offers episodes from the notorious life of 18th century socialite and playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. The story begins in the 1770s with a rehearsal of his "The Barber of Seville." Young friend of Voltaire, Philipp Gudin introduces himself to the great playwright and offers to become his personal secretary. He then becomes the adventurous Beaumarchais' keeper as the author gets involved in a variety of situations including a duel with an angry husband, his battle with the corrupt French government and a serious long-term affair with Marie-Theres de Willer. It all comes to a climax when King Louis XV assigns the playwright a secret mission to London. There he must find and retrieve a damning document from transvestite aristocrat Chevalier D'Eon. Unfortunately, Beaumarchais gets tangled up with supporting American rebels and ends up tossed in jail. Louis XVI sees that he is finally released and then the writer becomes an arms smuggler for American revolutionaries. All of his activities bankrupt him and so Beaumarchais must return to writing plays. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A trio of French teens experiences a love that will change their lives forever in this erotic coming-of-age tale from director Anthony Cordier. Mickael's (Johan Libereau) obsession with Judo often helps him to focus his frustrations in life, but when he's alone with longtime girlfriend, Vanessa (Salomée Stevenin), his guard fades, leaving a loving and easygoing boyfriend where the aggressive martial artist used to be. Clément (Pierre Perrier) is the new kid in town with a similar obsession with Judo and a pair of nouveau riche parents who stand in stark contrast to Mickael's working class mother and father. When the pair bond over an upcoming tournament and Clément helps Mickael to lose some weight for the meet, Vanessa is hesitant to accept the outspoken newcomer. As the bond between Mickael and Clément strengthens, Vanessa's increasingly complex role in the pair's friendship leads the trio through a series of sacrifices and emotional revelations that will result in a profoundly affecting sexual encounter for all three conflicted teens. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A middle-aged man decides it's time to stop hiding his feelings, with explosive results, in this dark drama from French filmmaker Jean Becker. Antoine (Albert Dupontel) is a successful advertising executive who owns his own firm and has a wife, two children and a mistress. On his forty-second birthday, a switch seemingly goes off within Antoine and after a lifetime of being civil he begins telling others just what he thinks, usually in a blunt and hurtful manner. Antoine insults one of his best clients and bad-mouths their products before quitting his job and releasing a volley of insults upon his partners. That evening, his wife Cecile (Marie-Josee Croze) throws him a birthday party, but if anything Antoine's mood grows darker; he tells his wife he's never really cared for her, scolds his children for their behavior and poor spelling, and chastises all his friends in attendance. Angry Antoine packs a bag and leaves for a long voyage, which leads him to Ireland and a volatile meeting with his emotionally-distant father (Pierre Vaneck). Deux Jours a Tuer (aka Love Me No More) also features Alessandra Martines, Mathias Mlekus and Cristiana Reali. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Christophe Malavoy and Francois Cluzet are business partners who are accused of stealing a safe from a wealthy tycoon in this situation comedy. A practical joke backfires when the two make their colleague (Jean -Claude Leguay) believe he has won the lottery. The owner of the safe calls the police, who chase after the scheming duo. The two steal the safe a second time to cover the loss of the money taken in the first burglary. Monique (Veronique Genest) is the sultry police commissioner and former flame of the robbery victim who investigates the bizarre case. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this crime story, Antoine (Jacques Bonnafe) is suddenly called home from the North Sea where he works on an oil rig; his wife's body has been found in the Seine. Not accepting the hypothesis that this was an accident or a suicide, Antoine starts to look into his wife's friends and acquaintances and discovers that he never really knew her at all. One of her female friends turns out to have been her lesbian lover, and the two were involved in bilking money from a bank. An accountant at the bank is trying to reclaim a stolen bank code somewhere among the deceased's belongings, and poor Antoine has just begun to scratch the surface of his wife's hidden life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Simon (Michel Cote) is fed up with his job as a court bailiff. He's fed up with his life in the cold of Quebec. He's fed up with his wife. He settles accounts with her, and out of the nearly $40,000 he has left, buys a convertible and heads south to Florida. He has recently inherited a house there from his mother, and he plans to sell it for enough money to live on. When he gets there, he finds an unemployed woman (C;aore Mebpit) squatting there. She gets by through stealing and pulling small con jobs. Instead of kicking her out, he becomes acquainted with her. As they get to know each other's inner lives, they also fall in love. The two of them play word-games with each other, and it looks as though, if at least one of them can find work, they might have a life together. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This period swashbuckler, set during the years 1699 to 1716, is the seventh screen adaptation of Paul Feval's 1857 serialized novel. Trained in circus stunts and fencing, Lagardere (Daniel Auteuil) becomes the bodyguard of the Duke of Nevers (Vincent Perez), whose cousin is the greedy Gonzague (Luchini). Nevers learns he is a father and plans to marry Blanche de Caylus (Claire Nebout) in order to raise an heir. Gonzague dispatches assassins to kill Nevers, Blanche, and their baby. Dying, Nevers turns the child over to Lagardere, asking him to gain revenge on his killers. The infant is a girl, and Lagardere and the child hide amidst an Italian troupe of actors. Years pass, and the young Aurore (Marie Gillain) grows up believing Lagardere is her father. When the actors arrive in Paris 16 years after Nevers death, Lagardere at last sets the stage for revenge. Swordfight choreography by Michel Carliez, son of the fight expert who trained Jean Marais for the 1959 film of Le Bossu. Shown at the 1997 Acapulco French Film Festival and the 1997 Bastia Festival of Mediterranean Cinema. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

A four-year-old girl must come to terms with the loss of her mother and the reality of death in this award-winning French drama. Little Ponette (Victoire Thivisol) is riding in a car with her mother when they're involved in a serious accident; Ponette survives, but her mother does not. Her father (Xavier Beauvois) initially reacts with anger over his late wife's careless driving, while her Aunt Claire (Claire Nebout) tries to comfort the child by telling her about Jesus and the resurrection. However, none of this does much to reassure Ponette or clarify her confusion about the practical realities and spiritual dilemma posed by death. In time, Ponette and her cousins Matiaz (Matiaz Caton) and Delphine (Delphine Schiltz) are sent off to boarding school, where they have to resolve their confusion and loss on their own. Writer and director Jacques Doillon carefully coached Victoire Thivisol (who was too young to read the screenplay) through her performance; the results earned the child Best Actress honors at the 1996 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide