Alain Tasma Movies
- 2008
A woman ends one relationship only to dive into another, very different one in this comedy-drama from French filmmaker Alain Tasma. Marion (Mireille Perrier) is a middle-aged schoolteacher who has spent twenty-two years in a marriage to Paul (Robin Renucci) that's grown a little worse every day, and one day after a typical failure to display some consideration to her she decides she's had enough. Marion walks out on her marriage en route to a dinner party with Paul, which angers her husband as well as her teenage daughter Justine (Chloe Coulloud). Marion doesn't look back and goes about setting up a flat of her own, and while looking for furnishings she meets Claude (Rachida Brakni), a French-Algerian antique dealer who is more than happy to make her a deal. Justine and Claude become fast friends attending dance classes and searching for antiques at sales in the countryside, but one night Claude reveals her deeper feelings when she tries to kiss Justine. Justine is excited, but unsure how to react, having never been romantically involved with a woman, while Claude, who has just gotten out of a relationship, isn't sure if she should be bold or cautious. Eventually the women give in to their attraction to one another, but they discover this new relationship won't be easy, and Justine isn't about to help. La Surprise (aka Out Of The Blue) was originally produced for French television, and later appeared at a number of film festivals, including the 2010 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2007
With the controversial 2007 docudrama Operation Turquoise, French director Alain Tasma (October 17, 1961) travels back in time by thirteen years to revisit the fateful events wrought by his country in April 1994. That month, France undertook the U.N.-backed "Operation Turquoise" - ostensibly a noble mission designed to insert a neutral force that would protect all groups (regardless of ethnicity or background) from annihilation. Severe and violent complications erupted, however, when the rebel Tutsi regime automatically expressed mistrust of French given France's past support of the genocidal Hutus. With a stark resistance to sentimentality, Tasma intercuts several semi-fictionalized substories at the core of the fray. These include: an innocent French photographer and journalist who automatically draw contempt and threats given their Gallic identities; a seriously confused and troubled school instructor who massacres his students and then lyrically quotes a French poet; a group of Kigali veterans frustrated at their inability to make a difference; and many others. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Aurélien Recoing, Frédéric Pierrot, (more)
- 2005
Parisian authorities clash with the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) in director Alain Tasma's recounting of one of the darkest moments of the Algerian War of Independence. As the war wound to a close and violence persisted in the streets of Paris, the FLN and its supporters adopted the tactic of murdering French policemen in hopes of forcing a withdrawal. When French law enforcement retaliated by brutalizing Algerians and imposing a strict curfew, the FLN organizes a peaceful demonstration that drew over 11,000 supporters, resulting in an order from the Paris police chief to take brutal countermeasures. Told through the eyes of both French policemen as well as Algerian protestors, Tasma's film attempts to get to the root of the tragedy by presenting both sides of the story. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
The star of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 2001 hit Amélie, Audrey Tautou is cast in this romantic comedy as Michèle, a 20-year-old model who has just broken up with her boyfriend and is mired in an identity crisis. Although her life appears to be full, she is convinced something is missing, and thus sets out on a mission to inject a bit of spirituality into her life, donning a bindi and dabbling with Buddha. Along the way, she meets François (Edouard Baer), a veterinarian and non-practicing Jew. Before François has time to exclaim "Oy, vey," Michèle is studying the Torah, festooning François' front door with a mezuzah, and asking to meet his parents. Unsurprisingly, this creates some tension between the two, particularly as what initially seemed a passing interest on Michèle's part soon resembles a somewhat disturbing obsession. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Audrey Tautou, Edouard Baer, (more)
Filmed in the Arabic and Hebrew languages, Wedding in Galilee takes place in the occupied West Bank of Palestine. The story is set in motion by a village elder, who intends to give his son a traditional wedding. This may prove impossible if the elder cannot enlist the encouragement of the local Israeli leaders. To do this, he is forced to invite those leaders to the wedding. No mere "culture clash" drama, Wedding in Galilee is a multitextured drama that serves as an eye-opener for any non-Israeli or non-Palestinian who thinks he's got the mideast situation "figured out." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bushra Karaman, Nazih Akleh, (more)
- 1986
The unique distinction of this standard comedy drama is that it is the first foreign, feature-length movie filmed in mainland China. Novice director Camille de Casabianca obtained permission from the authorities and set up her story around Valerie (Christine Citti), a woman who follows Yves (Yves Renier), the man she loves, to China. Yves is a journalist assigned to report on Western tourists behind the Bamboo Curtain, and it is an unintentionally comical group of tourists at that. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christine Citti, Yves Renier, (more)
- 1983
- R
Exposed is the film in which concert violinist Rudolf Nureyev grabs his bow and "plays" the lissome body of Nastassja Kinski. This may well stand as the silliest bit of erotica in screen history, but in the context of the film it's a model of restraint. We're asked to believe that Kinski is Elizabeth Carlson, a Wisconsin girl who has come to the big city to make it as a pianist or model. We're also supposed to be convinced that Nureyev is part-time espionage agent Daniel Jelline, who is determined to bring terrorist Rivas (Harvey Keitel) to justice. Much of the film takes place in Paris, where at least the scenery is lovely. The various plotlines and characters never quite congeal. Despite the fact that director James Toback is given sole screenplay credit, the film seems more like a "committee" project. To its credit, Exposed is never dull; with that cast, how could anyone fall asleep? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nastassja Kinski, Rudolf Nureyev, (more)
The Last Metro is set virtually in its entirety in a crumbling French theatre. During the Nazi occupation, Jewish director Lucas Steiner (Heinz Bennent) hides in the basement of the theatre, while his wife Marion (Catherine Deneuve) stars in its latest production. Marion is enamored of leading man Bernard Granger (Gerard Depardieu), and he with her, but they resist temptation out of respect to her husband. When she is given a choice between loyalty to her husband and to her countrymen, her dilemma offers two logical solutions--both of which are acted out on stage during the play. This Pirandellian ending aside, The Last Metro is one of the few films to accurately capture the feeling of what it was like to live in Paris under the thumb of the Nazis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, (more)
