Didier Haudepin Movies

When a suicidal nurse living in a nondescript town near the French-Swiss border walks into the woods with the intention of taking her own life, a surprise turn of events forces her to connect with the surrounding community in a way she could have never imagined. Frederique Bornoz (Isild Le Besco) is a quiet loner who never got along with her father (Philippe Villeumier) and takes great caution not to get emotionally involved with her patients at the hospital in which she works. Upon informing her ex-boyfriend Andre (Christophe Sermet) that she will soon be leaving town and has no plans of ever returning, Fred is crushed to learn that the man she still loves has already started dating again. Later, after entering into an impulsive ménage a trios with a pair of male friends, the one-time junior rifle champ loads her trusty firearm and walks into the woods and prepares to take her own life. Fred's suicidal plans are soon interrupted, however, when the despondent young woman spies two young boys tussling in the trees. Instinctively raising her rifle and getting a beat on the boys, Fred fires a single bullet that grazes one of the boys and destroys the knee of the other before fleeing the scene having failed to fulfill her mortal mission. When one of the boys, an sullen fourteen year-old named Marco (Steven De Almeida), is admitted to the Fred's hospital ward, the pair enter into a complex relationship in which Fred's dark secret casts a long shadow over every conversation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Unemployed electrician Juan (Ramon Barea) leaves his family behind when he travels to Madrid in search of work. Beginning illegal construction work, Juan meets Caribbean mulatto Andy (Luis Alberto Garcia), an illegal immigrant. Juan's landlady Margarita (Marga Escudero) suggests sex for his rent, but he declines. When the construction job is complete, Juan is reduced to sleeping in doorways. He remains in contact with Andy, who introduces him to Sonia (Magalis Gainza). The three find common ground and become friends. Juan also meets junkie Beatriz (Patricia Garcia Mendez), a wealthy businessman's daughter. As Juan's descent into the numbing world of unemployment continues, he struggles to maintain his dignity. Shown at the 1997 San Sebastian Film Festival, this film is also known as Hitting Bottom. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The grueling, emotionally torturous world of French preparatory schools provides the framework for this mystery. The deliberately rigorous courses are designed to prepare students to take the brutal examinations for entry into the elite Grand Ecoles, where a select few will gain the skills and education needed to insure a bright, prosperous future for themselves. The story centers on Delphine, a girl from the lower classes, and the upper class Claude. Both young women aspire to attend the Ecole Normale Superieure on the Rue d'Ulm. Delphine lives in humble public housing with her dull mother and two young brothers while Claude, who considers herself a Communist, lives in luxury with her own servant; she is sexually involved with fellow- student, Axel, who thinks himself a fascist. Claude's younger brother Bertrand is trying to become a cadet in the national military academy, St. Cyr. He endures much abuse as he prepares himself. A few hours after Delphine meets Claude, the latter is seen diving to her death from a tall building, something the school officials attribute to academic pressure. Delphine later learns the bitter truth about Claude's death after she herself gets involved with Axel, and Bertrand. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy from France, Annie (Bernadette Lafont), a middle-aged single mother who hasn't seen her grown-up daughter Marie (Lio) in years, has just been shown the door by her boyfriend. Given her bad luck with men over the years, Annie ought to be used to this by now, but sadly that's not the case. Annie turns to her high-strung sister Francoise (Bulle Ogier) for support; as it turns out, Francoise has her own problems with men, since she's convinced that her husband is being unfaithful to her. Since Francoise's hubby is supposed to be at a business conference held at an ocean resort, Annie and Francoise decide to drop by in hopes of catching him in the act. Upon arrival, the sisters make friends with CriCri (Michele Laroque), a hotel manager who can't stand her husband, and Dizou (Maaike Jansen), a 60-something maid who happens to be very happy with her marriage. Personne ne m'aime was written and directed by Marion Vernoux, who won the French Academy of Cinema's "Best First Film" award for her effort. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This smart, upbeat French comedy explores the differing attitudes surround children. Martin, a 35-year old advertising executive, is busily working upon ad campaigns for the Floppy dog-food company. It was his ex-wife's idea that he work for them. When the family au pair, 23-year old Sally tells Martin she is pregnant with his child as a result of their one-night stand, Martin seeks the counsel of his friends and family. Compounding the matter is the fact that Sally, who wants the baby, simple considers Martin to be a donor. Martin's militantly left-wing mother wants Sally to get an abortion because she believes it immoral to bring another European into the world. Julien, Martin's best friend, is an equally militant pro-lifer and will end the friendship if he allows Sally to abort. His barren ex-wife subversively influences Sally into keeping the baby. Meanwhile, Martin becomes friends with a pregnant teen who unexpectedly gives birth. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Director Claude Barrois based this crime thriller on an actual 1978 barroom massacre. When a yahoo criminal (Daniel Duval) offends a gangland don, the don hires a group of thugs to eliminate the lone upstart. The thugs invade the bar and shoot everyone in sight, but unfortunately their sole target escapes without a scratch. Furious at this attempt to kill him, the solitary criminal cons the head of the group of thugs to join him in fighting the don and his cohorts, and the slaughter escalates. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In this detective thriller, Alphand (Catherine Deneuve) is a private detective called upon to rescue the kidnapped daughter of Arnaud (Sami Frey), an sinister inventor. Arnaud has developed a hypnotizing ray which enables its user to make powerful suggestions to people about their behavior without their consent. His daughter has been kidnapped by a religious cult. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Le Juge et L'Assassin probes a curious relationship between condemner and condemnee. Philippe Noiret plays Rousseau, a French judge who holds the fate of convicted child killer Bouvier (Michel Galabru) in his hands. Should Rousseau decide that Bouvier is insane, the killer will not go prison. As they come to know each other better, both are given the rare opportunity of exploring the vagaries of the human mind. The previously unbendable judge alters several long-held opinions concerning criminals, while Bouvier is for the first time in his life able to articulate the thought processes which motivate his actions. It is clear at times that much of the dialogue in Judge and the Assassin stems from Bertrand Tavernier's own lifelong feelings of loneliness and isolation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite his best efforts, Julian (Bruo Bradei) cannot resist goading his younger brother Fabrice (Didier Haudepin) into doing something dumb. They are returning together to their mother's country home for a holiday break. Julian fought in Indochina when it was still French, and the war still haunts him. His brother isn't out of school yet and has yet to bed his first woman. These two make poor company for their mother, who is about to lose her heart over yet another man. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In France, the position of "magistrate" resembles that of the American district attorney; those in either post have broad investigatory and prosecutory powers. In this French language drama, Magistrate Level (Jacques Brel) is one of the rare few who will prosecute the police for abuse of power. He begins reluctantly, forced to make a pro forma investigation of three policemen who are implicated in the death of a suspect during questioning. After all, he is already late for his long-scheduled vacation. As he gets deeper into the investigation, he becomes more motivated. At the same time, he begins to receive threats from those who want him to stop. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Nina (Melina Mercouri) is a former silent-film star from Russia who abandons her career to care for her son. She is a single mother -- the boy's father is a famous actor who wants nothing to do with either Nina or her child. She joins an acting troupe where she impersonates a famous French fashion designer, but she leaves the group in Krakow, Poland, when her true identity is discovered. She travels to France, taking several odd jobs in Nice to support her son. When the boy grows to young adulthood, he is recruited to fight during World War II for the French and later the British. He is decorated for valor and returns to locate his estranged mother after two years have passed. Upon arriving home, he finds that his mother had died several years earlier but that she meticulously wrote over 250 letters to give her son moral support and encouragement in the years to come. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Jean Delannoy's This Special Friendship (Les Amities partculieres) is set in a boy's boarding school of the early 1930s. Two of the students, Francis Lacombrade and Francois Leccia, become close friends. Lacombrade has definite ideas concerning homosexuality: he's dead set against it, and is willing to blow the whistle on anyone whom he suspects to be "different." When Lacombrade himself comes out of the closet, as it were, the loyal Leccia arranges for the private meetings between Lacombrade and his vis-a-vis Didier Haudepin. Michel Bouquet, a young priest assigned to teach at the school, begins to suspect that something "unnatural" is going on, whereupon Leccia defensively spreads the rumor that Bouquet is himself fooling around with some of the students. Dismissed from the school, Bouquet has a heart-to-heart with Lacombrade about being too judgmental. Torn about by indecision and conflicting emotions, Lacombrade chooses the most drastic means of solving his own sexual ambiguity. Based on a novel by Les Amities Particulaires, This Special Friendship was considered controversial enough in 1964 to be held from American release for nearly three years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide