Philippe Carcassonne Movies
As Valerie, 19-year-old Virginie Ledoyen is not just the titular Single Girl, but for all practical purposes, the entire movie. As the film opens, she meets her sullen, unemployed boyfriend Remi (Benoît Magimel) at a cafe, and reveals that she is pregnant with his child. She is not only unsure about whether she should keep the child, but whether Remi would make a decent father if she did. She is also starting a new job as room service in an expensive hotel and promises to return to the cafe in an hour and tell Remi her decision. The bulk of the film consists of a real-time study of that critical hour. Valerie takes trays from room to room, and the camera follows every stair step, every elevator trip. There are interactions with peculiar guests, but none of them are particularly important characters. The focus is always on Valerie. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginie Ledoyen, Benoît Magimel, (more)
- 1989
Pierre Vergne (Claude Chabrol) is an opportunist who weasels his way into the lives of the nurse Francoise (Valerie Allain) and her husband Jacques (Fabrice Luchini), an ambulance driver. He convinces the couple he is wealthy and hasn't long to live and that they will become the sole heirs to his alleged fortune. Micheline Presle and Jean-Paul Roussillon co-star in this wry comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claude Chabrol, Valerie Allain, (more)
- 1995
In this interestingly amiable French comedy, a stuttering would-be actor with a nervous tic auditions for a variety of film jobs ranging from parts in industrial films, to commercials. The overly earnest fellow has no idea that those he comes in contact with find him hilarious but are too kind-hearted to tell him the truth. When the fellow is not auditioning, he is taking mind-numbingly dull claims for clients at an insurance agency. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephanie Zhang
- 1995
The many ways in which men are fascinated, compelled, and confused by their attraction to women are explored in this four part drama. As a filmmaker (John Malkovich) tries to sort out his plans for his next film, he considers several stories about women and the men who love them. Silvano (Kim Rossi Stuart) meets Carmen (Ines Sastre) and immediately asks her for a date, but despite his attraction, he can't follow through on his feelings for her. The director spies a woman on the streets (Sophie Marceau) and follows her obsessively, but when he finally meets her, he's disappointed, despite their mutual physical attraction. Roberto (Peter Weller) and his wife Patricia (Fanny Ardant) have to deal with their anger about each other's infidelities, as well as their problems with their lovers, Olga (Chiara Caselli) and Carlo (Jean Reno). And Niccolo (Vincent Perez) falls in love at first sight with a young woman (Irene Jacob), unaware that she is studying to become a nun. Par-Dela Les Nuages was Michelangelo Antonioni's first film after a massive stroke derailed his directorial career in 1985; Wim Wenders served as his collaborator on the project. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Malkovich, Kim Rossi Stuart, (more)
Carrington is the true story of the peculiar love affair between two nonconformists in Victorian England: painter Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson) and author Lytton Strachey (Jonathan Pryce). Dora is a young English artist who is part of the Bloomsbury Group, an assemblage of British writers, painters, and eccentrics that includes the likes of Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster, when she meets Strachey. A confirmed homosexual before meeting Carrington, Strachey inquires who the "ravishing boy" is and discovers that it's a woman. Shocked to discover this, he finds himself captivated by her, and they begin an unusual 17-year love affair/friendship. Strachey (most famous for the groundbreaking book Eminent Victorians) and Dora eventually move in together and have a series of offbeat sexual experiences with other members of the group and sometimes even with the same man; at one juncture, Dora even marries another man. Yet their relationship endures until Strachey's death years later. Pryce was honored as Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Thompson, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
- 1989
Lovers Beatrice Dalle and Wadeck Stanczak can't quite cope with the situation when Dalle becomes pregnant. Stanczak fears that his future as an architect will be scuttled by any parental responsibilities. For her part, Dalle wants to keep the baby, but she also wants to keep Stanczak. Attempting to smooth the waters is the couple's mutual friend Francis Frappat. Chimere was the second feature-film project for director Claire Devers, who rose to prominence on the strength of her award-winning maiden effort Black and White. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Béatrice Dalle, Wadeck Stanczak, (more)
- 2009
- PG13
- Add Coco Before Chanel to Queue
Amélie and The Da Vinci Code star Audrey Tautou stars as legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel in this biopic penned by director Anne Fontaine and screenwriter Camille Fontaine in collaboration with Christopher Hampton. Based on the Chanel biography L'Irrégulière (The Nonconformist) by author Edmonde Charles-Roux, Coco Avant Chanel features dresses from the Chanel collection. House of Chanel art director Karl Lagerfeld also steps onboard to supervise the creation of accessories and costumes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, (more)
- 2007
A civil servant gradually regresses into a fantasy world while falling for a beautiful movie star (Diane Kruger) in director Denys Arcand's (The Barbarian Invasions) dark comedy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc Labreche, Diane Kruger, (more)
- 1998
This French comedy-drama about a dysfunctional family won France's Jean Vigo award. In the tightly-knit Ducret family, farmer Luc (Frederic Pierrot) is married to Jeanne (Muriel Mayette), who regrets they abandoned their deformed firstborn to an institution -- an event the couple has kept secret from their other three children. Although antisocial Julien (Vincent Deneriaz), their retarded 19-year-old son, is interested in girls, he spends his time talking to a cow which gave birth to a two-headed calf. The police would like to see Julien institutionalized. After Julien finally learns about Jules, he revs up his moped and embarks on a "rescue" mission to bring Jules home. Shown in the Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Muriel Mayette, Frederic Pierrot, (more)
- 1997
This French-Spanish drama depicts a flat marriage that picks up a few new wrinkles. Nicole (Miou-Miou) and Jean-Marie Kunstler (Charles Berling) have run their small-town dry-cleaning shop for 15 years. When they visit a local night club, they see the brother-sister act of Loic (Stanislas Merhar) and Marilyn (Mathilde Seigner), who perform under the name Queens of the Night, and the four soon become friends. Later, the Kuntslers visit Basel, Switzerland, where the siblings are appearing. They learn the team is splitting up and invite the bisexual Loic to help at their shop. He accepts, and his presence alters their outlook on life. Shown at the 1997 Venice and Toronto film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miou-Miou, Charles Berling, (more)
Richard Bean directs this slick, ultra-cool noir thriller about a master pickpocket sucked into the realm of gangland violence. Franck Spadone (Stanislas Mehrar), along with his two sidekicks, swipe the wallet of gorgeous, depressed stripper Laura (Monica Bellucci) while working the Paris Metro. Awestruck by the image of the stripper, Spadone begins hanging out at the club where she works, which is a Mafia den where a band of mobsters are plotting the next battle in a gang war. Soon Spadone finds himself engulfed in the violence surrounding him; he is beaten to a bloody pulp one day and is almost murdered by a bumbling hitman the next. Meanwhile, Laura is forced by her Mafioso boyfriend (Carlo Brandt) to sleep with a wizened, corpulent don. Spadone decides to take matters into his own hands to save his love. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monica Bellucci, Stanislas Merhar, (more)
- 2008
A group of women struggling with their sexuality speak openly with the female counselors who wonder if such a thing as "sexual freedom" is truly possible in this tale of the incredible hidden in mundane, everyday events. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Alvaro, Nathalie Baye, (more)
- 2008
Algerian filmmaker Tariq Teguia wrote and directed this impressionistic look at a man whose life takes an unexpected turn far away from home. Malek (Abdelkader Affak) is a surveyor from Algeria who is semi-retired, but at the urging of a friend he takes an assignment in Oran. The region in question was the site of frequent battles during Oran's civil war, and an earlier survey that would make it possible to bring electrical utilities to the area was cut short by the fighting. While the zone is still unstable, Malek sets out to complete charting the area, and finds the locals regard him with suspicion and hostility. However, not everyone is disrespectful, and he discovers a young woman (Ines Rose Djakou) who is attracted to him, which leads him to consider abandoning his old life to run away with her. Inland was an official selection at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Murder and double-dealing among the idle rich sets the stage for this drama. Alan Cross (Adrian Dunbar) is a British detective who travels to a wealthy community along the coast of France in 1938; he's there to attend the funeral of a friend and wants to find out more about the mysterious circumstances behind his friend's death. Cross finds a privileged British family who were close to the deceased and who seem to live by their own set of rules. Helena Graves (Joanna Lumley) was good friends with the deceased, but she claims to know nothing about how he died. Helena's daughter Celia (Gabrielle Anwar) is engaged to a hot-blooded American but has also been involved in an incestuous relationship with her brother Jeremy (Stephen Dorff); Jeremy harbors a dark childhood secret regarding the death of his brother, and he is courting a Jewish woman, much to the chagrin of the anti-Semitic Helena. Cross becomes convinced that someone in the Graves family is to blame for the death, but it's not until someone else dies that the truth begins to bubble to the surface. Innocent Lies was also shown under the title Halcyon Days. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Gabrielle Anwar, (more)
Olivier Assayas directed this French drama, examining several relationships over a year's span, capturing varying textures and shades of feeling between people from late August of one year until early September of the next. Gabriel (Mathieu Amalric) and Jenny (Jeanne Balibar) separate, despite the affection that still binds them. A new love develops between Gabriel and young designer Anne (Virginie Ledoyen) as they overcome their fears and uncertainties. At his publishing job, much of Gabriel's emotional energy is spent on his close friend Adrien (Francois Cluzet), a once-promising novelist whose recent writing failed to repeat the critical and commercial success of his early novels. Jenny, who remains friends with Adrien, embarks on a new relationship with Jeremie (Alex Descas). When an old illness reappears, Adrien must come to terms with an early death; he begins an affair with 15-year-old schoolgirl Vera (Mia Hansen-Love). The personal tragedy of Adrien's death impacts on the fabric of friendships, as the individuals in the group reflect on death, life, and the future. Jeanne Balibar's performance won her the "Best Actress" award at the 1998 San Sebastian Film Festival. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival and the 1998 New York Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mathieu Amalric, Virginie Ledoyen, (more)
- 1990
Based on a semi-autobiographical novel by the director, actress Marie-France Pisier, this drama tells the story of a failing marriage between Charles Forestier (Didier Flamand), a stuffy colonial official stationed on New Caledonia (a French colony in the south Pacific), and his exciteable and athletic young wife (Kristin Scott-Thomas), as seen by their eleven-year old daughter Théa (Vanessa Wagner). Every morning, Mrs. Forestier goes off riding by the seashore, but when she comes back from her ride one day with a torn outfit, rumors begin to fly. Everyone says she has been seeing a young doctor. Tensions within the family build to a climax during their attendance at a ball the colony's governor is giving for a visiting dignitary. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristin Scott Thomas, Didier Flamand, (more)
- 1994
Two different narratives, separated by 37 years, interconnect in this feature debut from acclaimed Canadian theater director Robert Lepage. In 1952, Alfred Hitchcock (here played by Ron Burrage) is in Quebec, filming I Confess. While the great director's presence adds a bit of Hollywood excitement to the usually sleepy city, Rachel (Suzanne Clement), a 16-year-old girl who works at a church being used for filming, is in turmoil. She's become pregnant and has nowhere to turn, so she speaks of her dilemma to the priest in the confessional, secure that it will remain confidential. In 1989, Pierre (Lothaire Bluteau) has returned to Quebec after three years in China to attend the funeral of his father. He encounters his adopted brother Marc (Patrick Goyette), and together they begin searching for answers to their difficult questions about their true heritage. Kristin Scott Thomas appears in a supporting role as Hitchcock's assistant. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lothaire Bluteau, Patrick Goyette, (more)
- 1994
In this French drama, an irresponsible man is forced by circumstances beyond his control to communicate with the family he's kept at a distance. Jean-Paul (Gerard Lanvin) is the manager of a hotel in Nice whose shady business practices have put him seriously into debt; he needs to raise 300,000 francs in three days, or the loan sharks who've been keeping him afloat will come after him. Desperate for help, he approaches his younger brother Philippe (Jean-Marc Barr), whom he hasn't spoken with in ten years; Philippe stole Jean-Paul's girl from him, and subsequently married her. Jean-Paul also contacts his older brother Francis (Bernard Giraudeau), a schoolteacher who was disowned by their father when he admitted to the family that he was homosexual. Neither Philippe nor Francis can help him, so Jean-Paul tries to visit his father Raphael (Roberto Herlitzka) in Italy, hoping to put a large insurance policy on his father's life, naming himself as beneficiary. When it turns out that Raphael has gone missing, the three brothers must come together to find their father and keep him out of danger. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Lanvin, Bernard Giraudeau, (more)
- 1996
In this French thriller, an actress wins the role of a murder victim in a film based on the true story of an unsolved crime. She discovers her neighbor was the lover of the woman who was murdered in real life -- and is still a suspect. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Goyette, Peter Stormare, (more)
- 1987
The lines between love, sex, and politics become hopelessly blurred in this French drama from director Andre Techine. Jeanne (Sandrine Bonnaire), born and raised in Northern France, is visiting the Mediterranean for the first time, prompted by two events: the wedding of her sister, and the disappearance of her brother. Jeanne's brother is a deaf-mute who supports himself as a pickpocket under the tutelage of Said (Abdel Kechiche), and one of his only friends is Klotz (Jean-Claude Brialy), an older married man with bisexual leanings who has a weakness for young Arab boys. Jeanne meets Klotz and finds herself attracted to his son Stephane (Simon de la Brosse), who like his father is interested in both women and men. However, Jeanne also meets Said, and she finds herself infatuated with him as well, and she's soon torn between the two in a romantic and sexual dilemma that mirrors France's political turmoil regarding the nation's growing Arab population. Jean-Claude Brialy's performance in this film earned him a Best Supporting Actor award from the French Academy of Cinema. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandrine Bonnaire, Simon de la Brosse, (more)
- 1989
- PG
This easygoing French comedy -- originally and more wittily titled Romuald et Juliette -- is about conservative Parisian yogurt-company CEO named Romuald Blindet (Daniel Auteuil) who by circumstance finds himself drawing closer to his black cleaning woman Juliette Bonaventure (Firmine Richard). A romance soon develops between them. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Auteuil, Firmine Richard, (more)
Lonely and shy bachelor Monsieur Hire (Michel Blanc), suspected in the murder of a girl, secretly watches his young, attractive neighbor Alice (Sandrine Bonnaire) through the window. Once, when lightning flashes during a thunderstorm, she notices his face in the window and comes to him to find out what he is after. Adapting Georges Simenon's novel, Patrice Leconte emphasized the psychological drama rather than the detective story and created a film about loneliness and voyeurism; his cold precision is reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock or Fritz Lang. The low-key acting and moody soundtrack add a lot, but it's the director who deserves the most accolades, as he manages, with only glances and gestures, to achieve a degree of eroticism that other films fail to reach even through explicit sex scenes. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Blanc, Sandrine Bonnaire, (more)
