REVIEWS ❘ BOOKS & FILMS
OFFICE BOX
The top 10 hit fi lms in France
1 Le Voyage du Dr Dolittle Stephen Gaghan
2 Birds of Prey et la fantabuleuse histoire de Harley Quinn Cathy Yan
3 Ducobu 3 Philippe de Chauveron 4 1917 Sam Mendes
5 Bad Boys For Life Bilall Fallah, Adil El Arbi
CINÉ BY THE GRACE OF GOD Director: François Ozon Starring: Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet, Swann Arlaud
Hailed around the world as one of the best fi lms of 2019, it’s no wonder Grâce à Dieu (By the Grace of God) scooped eight César nominations, including best fi lm, best director and best actor. Written and directed by François Ozon – best known for 8 femmes (2002) and Swimming Pool (2003) – it stars Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet and Swann Arlaud as three men who were abused as children by the Catholic priest Father Preynat. Based on real events in Lyon, the fi lm, which won the Silver Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, follows the trio – banker Alexandre (Poupaud), ardent atheist François (Ménochet) and the somewhat unstable Emmanuel (Arlaud) – when, as adults 30 years later, they learn that Preynat (Bernard Verley) has been shielded by the Church and is still working with children, and they determine to expose the scandal. Not surprisingly, Grâce à Dieu hasn’t been without controversy: Preynat went to court, unsuccessfully, to try to
J’AI PERDU MON CORPS
Director: Jérémy Clapin Voiced by: Hakim Faris, Victoire du Bois
This unusual and thought-provoking animation follows a severed hand which, having escaped from a dissection lab, sets off on a perilous journey through Paris in a bid to be reunited with its owner, Naoufel, who lives with his rather unpleasant uncle and cousin, having lost his parents in a car accident.
Before long, love comes his way in the form of Gabrielle, but you know what they say about the course of true love… J’ai perdu mon corps made history when it premiered in the International Critics’ Week section at Cannes last year by becoming the fi rst ever animated fi lm to win the Nespresso Grand Prize. It was also nominated for an Oscar, but was pipped to the post by Toy Story 4. Bizarre, beautiful and utterly unique, you can catch it on Netfl ix.
90 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2020
block its release in France. Ozon defended his decision to release the fi lm before Preynat’s trial, saying everything in it had already been reported in the press. “Ninety per cent of the fi lm concerns the victims. It is their story,” he said. Tender and direct, Ozon, in a departure from his usual boisterous style, directs a thoughtful movie and handles the diffi cult subject matter deftly, laying bare both the trauma the abuse has caused and the courage with which the survivors take on the Church. It is beautifully acted and thoroughly absorbing, driving right to the heart not just of the abuse but of the insidious cover-up by Church offi cials. “I wanted to make a fi lm with men at the centre, expressing their feelings and emotions. Often in cinema, emotion is the realm of women and action is the realm of men, and I wanted to turn that on its head,” said Ozon. Preynat was found guilty last year of molesting more than 80 boys and was, at last, defrocked.
LE JEU
Director: Fred Cavayé Starring: Bérénice Bejo, Vincent Elbaz
The clever plotline of this movie, which is available on Netfl ix, is woven out of a very simple conceit. A group of friends get together for dinner at one of their homes and conversation turns to the tale of a woman who found out about her husband’s extramarital affairs only after he’d died and she looked through
the messages on his mobile phone. The friends decide, as an experiment, that they should all put their mobile phones in the centre of the table and share any calls or messages with the entire group. Set entirely in the one location, the tension rises as tempers fray, secrets threaten to be revealed and marriages and friendships are pushed to breaking point. Absolutely compelling, it will make you laugh as well as cringe, and has a surprisingly moving ending.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
6 The Gentlemen Guy Ritchie
7 #Jesuislà Éric Lartigau
8 Le Lion Ludovic Colbeau-Justin
9 Jojo Rabbit Taika Waititi
10 L’Esprit de famille Eric Besnard
DVD & Blu-ray
Parasite Joker
Donne-moi des ailes
CLASSIC FILM
LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS
One of the masterpieces of French New Wave,
this is François Truffaut at his best – and it was his
directorial debut, no less! Inspired by Truffaut’s own adolescence, this 1959 film tells the tale of troubled Parisian teen Antoine
Doinel, whose home life and school life conspire
against him, leading him to become more and more disaffected. Beautifully shot with breathtaking
performances by its young stars, it will make you laugh, cry and despair by turns.
IMAGE © SCOPE PICTURES
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