“Memoirs of a Snail”, “Babygirl”, “The Fourth Wall”…

An ode to the unlucky in stop motion, Nicole Kidman as an accomplished and masochistic bourgeois, a Greek tragedy in Beirut on fire… What films to see this week (or not)? Every Wednesday, find our reviews of the latest theatrical releases.

“Memoirs of a Snail,” by Adam Elliot: our favorite

Gender: special case. Grace Pudel is a concentrate of humanity in plasticine, the most poignant and sweetest of marginal heroines. Will the orphan one day come out of her shell? This poignant animated film, which is not aimed at children, carries its depression aesthetic high. (Animation. 1h34)

“Babygirl”, d’Halina Reijn

Gender: for/against. Super-boss and model mother, a frustrated woman awakens her masochistic desire with a young intern. A role which won Nicole Kidman an award at the last Venice Film Festival but which divided our critics: enjoyable erotic thriller or painful commotion? (With Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Bandeas. 1h48)

“The Fourth Wall”, by David Oelhoffen

Genre: tragedy. In Beirut on fire in 1982, a Parisian, impeccable Laurent Lafitte, stages Antigoneby Jean Anouilh. The strength of the film, completed before October 2023, lies in the coincidence of its images with those reaching us from the Middle East. A suffocating tragedy that echoes that of today. (With Laurent Lafitte, Simon Abkarian, Manal Issa. 1h56)

“Spectators!”, by Arnaud Desplechin

Genre: declaration of love. The director mixes intimate memories and film extracts to tell the story of cinema. Its history, its magic, its beauty, its depth, its importance in existence, it is all this, and more, that this generous film highlights. (With Milo Machado-Graner, Françoise Lebrun, Louis Birman, Salif Cissé. 1h28)

“I’m still here”, by Walter Salles

Genre: upsetting. In Brazil, under the military dictatorship, the fight against the oblivion of Eunice Paiva after the kidnapping of her husband. Walter Salles takes the point of view of the wife and mother, herself briefly detained. On screen, the extraordinary Fernanda Torres, rewarded with a Golden Globe for best actress, lends her the poise of a queen and a sensitivity to her face. (With Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, Valentina Herszage. 2h15)

“The Maldoror file”, by Fabrice du Welz

Genre: sticky thriller. Paul Chartier, a young gendarme from Charleroi, tracks down a child molester, to the point of obsession. The main suspect, Marcel Dedieu, is a monster of mediocrity, at once grotesque, seedy and frightening, perfectly composed by Sergi López. A gripping thriller inspired by the Dutroux affair. (With Anthony Bajon, Alba Gaïa Belligi, Alexis Manenti, Sergi López, Laurent Lucas. 2h35)

“Par amour”, by Élise Otzenberger

Genre : Take Shelter Moselle. Adorable Simon, 9 years old, says he hears voices in the water. So he spends hours immersed in the family bathtub… His mother, Sarah (Cécile de France, intense), panics. What to do with her child’s obsession, should she play along or bring him to his senses? An intimate drama that leans towards the fantastical side. (With Cécile de France, Arthur Igual, Darius and Navid Zarrabian. 1h30)

“The Extraordinary Adventures of Morph”, by Merlin Crossingham

Gender: toddlers. The Aardman animation studios (Wallace and Gromit) return to their source: a selection of short films featuring babbling creatures in a large playground house and a hero, Morph, created in 1977. (Animation. 40 min )

“Dreamland”, by Collective

Like: dream big. To understand today’s youth, a collective of four French directors set out to interview nearly one hundred and twenty young women and men, from Lebanon to Syria, from Brazil to Denmark, including Benin and Kyrgyzstan. A vitamin-packed world tour. (Documentary. 81 min)

“Seven Walks with Mark Brown”, by Pierre Creton and Vincent Barré

Gender: hikers. Plants as guides, a paleobotanist, a filmmaker and a sculptor invite you on a captivating Norman, ecological and cinematic journey that is completely new. A documentary dedicated to sharing. (Documentary. 1h44)

“The River of the Senses”, by Ma Xue

Genre : flop. In the suburbs of Beijing, during the Covid pandemic, a young married and confined housewife who is pining takes a lover, then several. Her husband observes them through a hole in the wall. Crude with some notes of the grotesque, this erotic film achieves the mini-feat of being both simple and confusing. (With Tian Yuan, Song Ningfeng, Xu Weihao. 1h31)