REVIEWS ❘ FILMS
OFFICE BOX
The top 10 hit fi lms in France
1 Barbie Greta Gerwig
2 Anatomie d’une chute
Justine Triet
3 Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan
4 Les As de la jungle 2 – Opération tour du monde
Laurent Bru, Yannick Moulin, Benoit Somville
5 Gran Turismo Neill Blomkamp
CINÉ
LA NIGHT DU 12 Director: Dominik Moll Starring: Bastien Bouillon, Bouli Lanners, Anouk Grinberg
Sooner or later, every police offi cer comes across a case that remains unsolved and haunts him. For Yohan (Bastien Bouillon), Clara’s murder turns out to be that case, and what starts as an investigation into the victim’s life soon turns into an obsession. Unusually, as viewers, we are told from the offset not to expect to fi nd out whodunnit. There’s a stillness to this movie that’s quite audacious: the brutal, gory horror of the crime (the victim is set alight on her way home) is in stark contrast to the exquisite mountain scenery surrounding Grenoble, where the action takes place. Even her mother is struck silent by shock, rather than giving in to the breast-beating and wailing so often depicted. The repeated rounds of interrogation – there is no shortage of suspects – are strangely compelling and Yohan fi nds himself faced with more and more doubts. The only one thing we can be certain of, it
PETER VON KANT
Director: François Ozon Starring: Denis Ménochet, Isabelle Adjani
Reversing the main characters’ genders of Fassbinder’s 1972 all-female cast fi lm, Ozon still manages to remain true to the original screenplay. Instead of Petra, the fashion designer of the original, Ozon has cast Denis Ménochet as Peter Von Kant. Isabelle Adjani plays
his glamorous actress muse, Sidonie, who introduces Peter to Amir (Khalil Gharbia), a sexy 23-year-old. Amir casts an instant spell on Peter who invites her back to discuss a career in acting and a role in his next production. As in the original, Ozon confi nes most of the action to Peter’s 1970s apartment, designed by Katia Wyszkopf’s and echoing the theatrical set of The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant.
88 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Oct/Nov 2023
seems, is that the crime occurred on the night of the 12th. The fi lm is adapted from Pauline Guéna’s book, 18.3 – A Year With the Crime Squad, focusing on only a 30-page section of the 500-page tome. Guéna spent a year in the Versailles Criminal Investigation Department, experiencing the juxtaposition of every-day routine and the most harrowing situations imaginable. Dominik Moll’s movie was a huge hit at the Césars, receiving ten nominations and earning well-deserved wins in six categories, including Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. The perfomances are also excellent: Lanners won the César for Best Supporting Actor while Bouillon won Most Promising Actor. It is a beautifully made fi lm, albeit not the cheeriest of subject matters, and one whose haunting sorrow will stay with you.
THE POT-AU-FEU
Director: Tran Anh Hung Starring: Juliet Binoche, Benoît Magimel
It’s1885 and Eugénie has worked as a cook for the famous gourmet Dodin for 20 years. During that time, their mutual love of gastronomy has fl ourished into a romantic relationship. Sparking off each other, their inventive culinary approach gives rise to ever more
delicious dishes which attract a string of hungry visitors to their door. And then eventually, it comes to pass that Dodin is to cook for Eugénie, in the ultimate expresssion of love. Beautifully fi lmed and with sterling performances from its cast, the fi lm is based on Marcel Rouff’s 1924 novel, The Life and Passion of Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet – which itself was inspired by the life of legendary foodie Jean Brillat-Savarin.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
6 Hypnotic Robert Rodriguez
7 En eaux très troubles
Ben Wheatley
8 Blue Beetle Angel Manuel Soto
9 Retribution Nimród Antal
10 Ninja Turtles: Teenage Years
Jeff Rowe, Kyler Spears
CLASSIC FILM
BORSALINO
It’s Marseille in 1930 and two small-time crooks
cross paths during a fight over a woman… and
decide to join forces in their low-level criminal enterprise. They soon
find themselves working for the local gangster
bosses, but then decide to branch out and work
for themselves. Needless to say, this turns out to be more difficult than
they expected. Based on the story of two real-life criminals, this 1970 film, directed by Jacques Deray and starring
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon, is widely considered
one of France’s best gangster movies.
IMAGES © FANNY DE GOUVILLE, CAROLE BETHUEL, CURIOSA FILMS/GAUMONT
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