Anne Brochet Movies

Precocious 11-year-old Paloma (Garance LeGuillermic) befriends prickly, homely janitor Renée (Josiane Balasko) and bears witness to a most unlikely romance in director Mona Achache's adaptation of author Muriel Barbery's best-seller. A young girl prone to deep philosophizing, Paloma is acutely aware of life's disappointments. Her parents hardly acknowledge her existence, and unless things start to look up soon Paloma plans to simply commit suicide. Matronly Renée is the custodian in the building where Paloma lives with her parents. In her spare time, Renée likes nothing better than to curl up with a good book from her extensive personal library. The frumpy building superintendent has just relegated herself to a life alone when courteous Japanese businessman Kakuro (Togo Igawa) moves in and sees something in her that most people don't. But Paloma isn't like most people, and perhaps if the young cupid can find a way to get Renée and Kakuro together, she'll finally have enough evidence to conclude that life is well worth living, despite the daily struggles we must all endure. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Three middle-aged men take a second stab at getting their high school degree in this comedy-drama from France. When they were teenagers, Michel (Jacques Gamblin), Gerard (Kad Merad) and Edmond (Rufus) all failed their Baccalaureat exams, the challenging comprehensive essay test that evaluates a French student's knowledge before they are given their high school diploma. While they planned to focus on their studies and take the exam again, all three ended up getting jobs in the same factory, with Michel and Gerard working on the line and Edmond eventually advancing to foreman. Twenty years after leaving school, Michel and his wife Claire (Anne Brochet), who works in a beauty salon, have a teenage son, Philippe (Edouard Collin) who has just flunked the Baccalaureat exam. As Michel and Claire encourage Philippe to buck up and give the test another try, Michel gets the word that the factory where he works is shutting down, and he, Gerard and Edmond are all out of a job. Michel discovers getting a new job without a degree is tough even with plenty of work experience, so he and Gerard pledge to crack open their textbooks and give the Baccalaureat another try, which Edmond becoming their unwelcome study partner. Michel also finds himself bonding with Philippe in a new way as both men work towards bettering their futures. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Jacques Rivette's Histoire de Marie et Julien (The Story of Marie and Julien) stars Emmanuelle Béart and Jerzy Radziwilowicz as a pair of ex-lovers who get back together after their lives change. Julien (Radziwilowicz) is a clock repairman whose girlfriend has left him. Marie (Béart) is a mysterious woman who does not bleed after being cut. Her boyfriend has died. Marie and Julien had once engaged in an affair when they were each involved with other people, and now that they have no emotional entanglements, they slowly begin a new relationship. This film started decades before as a project in Rivette's "Scenes From a Parallel Life" series and abandons the majority of the formal rules imposed by the filmmaker on the other films in the cycle. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

A bittersweet drama covering 30 years in the lives of group of friends and colleagues united by their devotion to the theatre, 30 Ans begins in Paris in 1974, when Aurelian (Laurent Lucas), his girlfriend Barbara (Nathalie Richard), and childhood friend Antoine (Gregori Derangere) form a theatre. Taking the plight of Pinochet's oppressed Chile as its cause, the theatre attracts the involvement of Jeanne (Anne Brochet), a young actress who immediately sparks the attentions of both Aurelian and Antoine, the latter of whom seduces her. When Chilean dissident actor Luis (Hector Noguera) is brought to the theatre by Barbara's diplomat father, Jeanne falls in love with him, and the two carry out an affair that ends when a sudden development causes Jeanne to disappear. Eight years later, Aurelian has a new girlfriend (Julie Depardieu) and is directing a travelling troupe, and Antoine is a high-priced image consultant who gets his old friend a gig at Dunkirk. Aurelian, deeply immersed in a mid-life crisis, still loves Jeanne, continuing to carry a picture of the enigmatic actress in his wallet and writing about her in his diary. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Is there such a thing as an amicable divorce? This French drama, explores the subject in depth as it examines the post marital relations between Jeanne, Romain, and their ten year old daughter Mado. Jeanne and Romain had been married ten years before they mutually agreed to call it quits. Mado lives with her mother and her father has ample visitation. She has adjusted well to the situation, in part because her parents appear to be cooperative and friendly toward each other. But as time passes, cracks begin appearing in their facade. Romain begins to resent Mado's happiness with her mother. Jeanne must balance between work and single-parenthood; she is doing a good job of it. Romain though very strict and controlling really wants the best for Mado, but his wife's success eats at him. To get revenge, Romain tries to instill doubts as to Jeanne's competence in those she loves and works with, eventually he tries to create self-doubt in Jeanne herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Cult science-fiction author Philip K. Dick's novel of 1950s suburban California, Confessions of a Crap Artist, is adapted to present-day France in this quirky comedy-drama. Hippolyte Girardot portrays the title character, who is known by the nickname "Barjo" -- a moniker loosely translatable as "nutcase." After accidentally burning down his house during a scientific experiment, the extremely eccentric and socially naive Barjo is forced to move in with his twin sister, Fanfan, and her husband Charles, an aluminum factory owner. In his new home, Barjo continues his odd habits: cataloging old science magazines, testing bizarre inventions, and thinking about the end of the world. His main pursuit, however, is typing up a journal of "scientific" observations of his life, with a particular focus on the other people around him. Through this journal, Barjo chronicles Fanfan and Charles' increasingly frequent encounters with a younger couple and the marital tension that soon results -- eventually driving Charles into the hospital. Director Jerome Boivin (Baxter) uses Barjo's viewpoint to present an unusual perspective on marital and sexual difficulty, with his narration analyzing his sister's marriage fluctuating between the embarrassingly naive and the unexpectedly observant. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Edmond Rostand's classic drama of inner and outer beauty is given a lavish treatment in this acclaimed French production. Gérard Depardieu portrays the title character, a brilliant, charismatic swordsman with a generous spirit and a genius for poetry. It would seem that such a man would have no trouble attracting women, but Cyrano considers himself doomed to loneliness by an unattractive face featuring an oversized nose. His feelings of inadequacy are emphasized when Roxane, the beautiful woman he adores, attracts the attention of Christian, a young cadet in Cyrano's service. Christian lacks the poetic gift, however, and he ironically turns to Cyrano for help in winning Roxane's love. What follows is a tale of deception, with Roxane falling in love with the ineloquent Christian thanks to Cyrano's words of love. The underlying narrative has become quite familiar to modern audiences through retellings and variations from the 1950 adaptation starring José Ferrer to Steve Martin's Roxanne. Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau's interpretation stresses the tragic majesty of the original, setting a vigorous performance by Depardieu against a beautifully designed reproduction of the period and an emphasis on the sound and poetry of Rostand's original language; the subtitles for the film's English release were penned by renowned British author Anthony Burgess. This attention to detail creates a particularly faithful cinematic rendering of the original work that met with positive critical responses. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Seraphin Monge (Patrick Bruel) is a World War I veteran whose family was killed when he was an infant. At the end of the war, he returns to seek vengeance on the murderers. Monge is unable to carry out his revenge when the victims die before he can kill them. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Roland Wolf (Robin Renucci) poses as a reporter to interview a popular television personality (Philippe Noiret) he believes is responsible for the disappearance of his sister. The struggling actress had taken a job as a companion to the star's sickly ward Catherine (Anne Brochet). Roland discovers Catherine is being drugged by her benefactor who has stolen her inheritance and possibly committed murder. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Julie (Jessica Forde) and her childhood sweetheart Jean (Jean-Claude Adelin) are separated in this uneven but prize-winning romantic drama. When Jean is shipped off to live with his aristocratic father, Julie later becomes engaged to Henri (Simon de la Brosse), a young man from her own social standing. When Jean returns, Henri is driven to fits of jealous rage, and Julie follows the uninterested Jean back to Paris in an attempt to win his love again. This feature won the Jean Vigo Prize in 1987. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi