Alain Sarde Movies

A ghostwriter stumbles onto a secret that places his life in danger as he takes down the life story of a former U.K. prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) in this Roman Polanski-helmed adaptation of the Robert Harris novel. Kim Cattrall, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Williams and Tom Wilkinson co-star in the Summit Entertainment release. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Legendary French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once again poses a number of provocative questions about art, politics, and the nexus point between them in this drama in three acts, "Hell," "Purgatory," and "Paradise." After a collage of film clips illustrate a meditation on the nature of war and conflict in society, Godard introduces his central set piece, in which a group of authors, artists, and noted thinkers gather for a symposium taking place in the battle-scarred city of Sarajevo. Olga Brodsky (Nade Dieu) is a young journalist who is French and Jewish by birth and Israeli by choice; she has come to discuss the conflict between her adopted nation and Palestine with some of the many notables in attendance, in particular a celebrated Palestinian author. As Olga wrestles with issues of conflict, identity, and culture along with others at the conference, one of the participants, Jean-Luc Godard, points out the frustrating similarities between the grammar of cinema and human nature, and posits the notion that it's the essential differences of the peoples of the world, rather than their similarities, which are at the root of our culture. Notre Musique was a prizewinner at the 2004 San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it was named Film of the Year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The tragedy of the war in Bosnia makes way for the humor and compassion of people living their lives under difficult circumstances in this comedy drama from filmmaker Emir Kusturica. In 1992, war is brewing in Bosnia, but the city fathers in the town of Golobuci are going ahead with their plans of building a railroad line they hope will bring more visitors into the city. Luka (Slavko Stimac), who is in charge of the construction project, lives with his wife, Jadranka (Vesna Trivalic), a former musician who is suffering from manic depression, and his son, Milos (Vuk Kostic), a talented soccer player who dreams of turning pro some day. After Jadranka has an especially severe episode, Luka takes her to the hospital, where he meets Sabaha (Natasa Solak), a Moslem nurse who quickly develops a nonprofessional interest in Luka. As the clouds of war appear on the horizon, Milos is drafted into the army and Jadranka runs away, and after Sabaha is left with no place to go, she's sent to Luka's place by his friend Aleksic (Stribor Kusturica), where she quickly takes over as both housekeeper and bedmate to Luka. Zivot Je Cudo (aka Life Is a Miracle) was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A middle-aged woman fears that her husband is cheating on her -- and chooses a very unlikely method for verifying her paranoia -- in this psychological drama from the writer of Une Liaison Pornographique. Catherine (Fanny Ardant) is a successful Parisian gynecologist whose long-term marriage to Bernard (Gérard Depardieu) has been passionless as of late. When she checks his cell phone messages one afternoon, she discovers a suggestive "thank you" from a young colleague of his, which creates an even wider chasm between the two. Desperate, Catherine goes to an upscale strip club nearby to solicit the services of Nathalie (Emmanuelle Béart), a matter-of-fact prostitute. It seems Catherine wants Nathalie to seduce Bernard and report back to her each week, an assignment that's initially off-putting to the young woman, but one she begins to relish as the weeks pass. Soon, Nathalie is using intimate details to fuel Catherine's rage toward her husband. Nathalie... had its gala North American premiere at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Coline Serreau's 18 Ans Apres (18 Years Later) is a sequel to her 1985 film Three Men and a Cradle, which was re-made in America as Three Men and a Baby. Marie (Madeleine Besson) is now on the verge of turning 18. She decides to spend a summer vacation with her mother Sylvia. Joining them are Sylvia's husband (Ken Samuels) and his two young adult boys (Gregoire Lavollay-Porter and James Thierree). Eventually her three "dads" (André Dussollier, Michel Boujenah, and Roland Giraud) and a housekeeper show up. The differences between Americans and the French, the foibles of single parenthood, and the pitfalls of middle-aged love and sex provide the material for the film's comedy. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Directed by Raphae Nadjari, Apartment 5C follows several individuals trying to survive within the inner cities of New York. Nicky (Tinkerbell) and Uri (Ori Pfeffer), two Israelis with expired U.S. visas, are making ends meet by robbing local stores at gunpoint. The couple becomes a little overexcited with their gun in their Brooklyn apartment one evening, and Nicky is accidentally shot in the leg. Uri leaves in a panic, never to return. Luckily for Nicky, the building's maintenance person (Richard Epson) takes pity on her, and agrees to care for her while her leg heals. This leads to a relationship between the two; one which Harold's (Epson) wheelchair bound brother-in-law (Jeff Ware) doesn't approve of. Max (Ware) is determined to put a stop to the budding romance, which Nicky and Harold predictably do not take lightly, leading to a violent conclusion for the trio. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

With Laurent Cantet's Time Out (L'Emploi du Temps) as an inspiration, actress-turned-director Nicole Garcia's fourth feature film, L'Adversaire, is a fictionalized account of what may have gone through the mind of real-life serial killer Jean-Claude Romand. Daniel Auteuil portrays Jean-Marc Faure, who, like Romand, had fooled his friends, family, and the bank for 18 years. Though those who knew Faure believed he was a physician employed by the World Health Organization in Geneva, he actually had no qualifications for the position, and had never held a real job. As part of the façade, Faure commuted to Switzerland daily, and obviously knew his way around the WHO. However, he had no job to perform there. Though he acquired an enormous overdraft at the bank, they believed he was a well-known doctor, and incorrectly assumed he would repay them shortly. Nearly two decades after his original untruth, Faure is nearly found out. Rather than enduring the shame of his long-time fraud, Faure opts to murder his wife, children, and parents. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Internationally recognized French actress Sophie Marceau makes her feature directing debut with the intimate divorce drama Speak to Me of Love, which earned her the Best Director award from the 2002 Montreal World Film Festival. Justine (Judith Godrèche) and Richard's (Niels Arestrup) 15-year relationship comes to a sputtering end as both decide to separate due to irreconcilable differences. They go about their daily existences as best they can; Justine maintains custody of the couple's three boys, as well as the apartment. As she deals with the effects the separation has on her life as well as her boys' lives, she also manages to come terms with her own parents' divorce and finds a common bond with her long-suffering mother. Richard, on the other hand, attempts to bury himself in his work -- as a famous author -- but finds little solace as a planned project falls through. Both are forced to confront their uncertain futures, as well as reflect on the past choices they've made that put them in the positions they are in now. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

Four people discuss love and life, learning (and revealing) more about each other than they ever imagined in this intimate drama from director Anne-Marie Mieville. A middle-aged woman (Mieville) and her younger, attractive friend Cathos (Claude Perron) return home from an evening out with elderly Robert (Jean-Luc Godard). After Cathos makes a vain attempt to seduce Robert, the older woman steps out to buy cigarettes. She soon returns, and has brought an attractive young man named Arthur (Jacques Spiesser) along with her. Soon the four are discussing philosophy, literature, and their own intertwined relationships, as Robert and the older woman open up about the failings of their own romance. Some of the realism of Apres La Reconciliation can be attributed to the fact that Mieville and Godard are a long-time couple in real life; this also marks the fourth time they've acted together, though the first time was in a film directed solely by Mieville (Godard was a collaborator on the other three films in which they both appeared). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

During the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, the nation's movie studios continued to operate; some filmmakers and technicians simply went along with what their new leaders demanded in hopes keeping themselves and their families safe, while others sought to subvert the messages of their captors through their work. Safe Conduct, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, is a fact-based period drama which examines two men working for a Parisian film company during 1942 and 1943, as well as their friends, family, and loved ones. Jean Devaivre (played by Jacques Gamblin) is an assistant director for Continental Pictures, a studio which has recently been taken over by the Germans and is headed by Dr. Greven (Christian Berkel), a self-styled aficionado of French filmmaking. With a wife (Marie Desgranges) and a newborn son to support, Devaivre feels he has little choice but to continue with his work, though as he rises from assisting to becoming a full fledged director thanks to the efforts of Maurice Tourneur (Philippe Morier-Genoud), he struggles to work his own views into his pictures as much as he can. Screenwriter Jean Aurenche (Denis Podalydes), a man who lives for wine, women and song (not necessarily in that order), refuses to work for Greven, and as he bounces between his many lovers - actress Suzanne Raymond (Charlotte Kady), no-nonsense streetwalker Olga (Marie Gillain), and soft-hearted Reine (Maria Pitarresi), a struggles to find a way to make a living with his words. Both Devaivre and Aurenche were real-life figures in the French film industry during the occupation, as were many of Safe Conduct's supporting characters; the real life Aurenche went on to write the screenplay for Bertrand Travernier's first feature film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The story of a vengeful ghost (which spawned both a popular silent thriller and a mid-'60s TV miniseries that drew record ratings in France) returns to the big screen in this adaptation of the story by Arthur Bernede. A collection of artifacts from an archeological dig in Egypt are brought to the famous Louvre museum in Paris, and while experts are using a laser scanning device to determine the age of a sarcophagus, a ghostly spirit escapes and makes its way into the museum's electrical system. Museum curator Faussier (Jean-Francois Balmer) brings in a noted Egyptologist, Glenda Spencer (Julie Christie), to examine the findings, and she announces that the mummy inside the coffin was actually the evil spirit Belphegor. Lisa (Sophie Marceau), who lives across the street from the museum, follows her runaway cat into the museum after closing time, where she is accidentally given a shock that sends the stray spirit into her body. Soon, Lisa is disguising herself as Belphegor and making off with the rare Egyptian treasures on display at the museum, convinced that they are rightfully hers. When "Belphegor" proves more than a match for the Louvre's security forces, renowned detective Verlac (Michel Serrault) is brought out of retirement to find out why the museum's Egyptian collection has been shrinking. Belphegor: Le Fantome Du Louvre enjoyed the distinction of being the first feature film to be shot in part inside the world-famous museum. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide