Cinema releases of the week: “All we imagine as light”, “The Outrun”, “Joker: Folie à Deux”…

What films to see this week (or not)? Every Wednesday, find our reviews of the latest theatrical releases.

“All We Imagine as Light”, de Payal Kapadia : our favorite

Genre: lights in the night. In Mumbai, two nurse friends, from different generations, each experience a complicated love story. A beautiful portrait of women, which mixes material life and floating states of mind, harshness and sensuality. (With Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam. 1h58.)

“When autumn comes”, by François Ozon

Type: chabrolian or annealed. A granny cake finds herself estranged from her grandson. How far can we go to preserve those we love? Ozon dissects family ties. An amoral and sensitive thriller for some, indigestible for others. (With Hélène Vincent, Josiane Balasko, Ludivine Sagnier. 1h42.)

“Joker: Folie à deux”, by Todd Philips

Like: last lap. Arthur Fleck, the Joker, is languishing in prison, stunned by medication. By falling in love, he regains his taste for life. But is this love viable? After Joker (2019), a melodramatic sequel, with successful singing scenes. (With Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson. 2h19.)

“Maya, give me a title”, by Michel Gondry

Genre: Love song. For six years, the director made stop-motion short films for his daughter, who chose the title. An exercise in poetic style, absurd, enjoyable and above all full of love. Pure Gondry! (With Pierre Niney, Maya Gondry. 1h01.)

“The Outrun”, de Nora Fingscheidt

Genre: invigorating pantheism. To turn her back on a dissolute life, a young woman returns to her native island. An intense drama, where Saoirse Ronan and wild nature radiate. (With Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane. 1h58.)

“The Devil’s Bath”, de Veronika Franz et Severin Fiala

Genre: hypnotic dolorism. In the 18th century, in the Austrian countryside, a young wife sinks into depression. Between naturalism and macabre dreaminess, a captivating drama about the fate of women who do not conform to society. (With Anja Plaschg, David Scheid, Maria Hofstätter. 2h01.)

“Drone”, by Simon Bouisson

Genre: Beauty and the Technological Beast. An architecture student is followed by a mysterious drone that interferes in her life, for better or for worse. Sometimes juvenile but often disturbing thrill for an original French thriller. (With Marion Barbeau, Eugénie Derouand, Cédric Kahn. 1h50.)

“The Damned”, by Abel Danan

Genre: talent to follow. Yara, a 25-year-old Moroccan, leaves her family to settle in a studio in Paris. Day by day, she falls prey to hallucinations. A well-kept horror film, which orchestrates an oppressive closed-door environment. (With Lina El Arabi, Ouidad Elma, Hicham Belaoudi. 1h20.)

“Free”, by Santos Blanco

Genre: bondieuserie. They live in a monastery in 2024. What are they experiencing that is so extraordinary within these walls? This Christian documentary questions Spanish monks and nuns, between sincerity and pure catechesis. (With Alexandra Ansidei, Roberto Álvarez, Paula Iglesias. 1h44.)

“The Bearded Mermaid”, by Nicolas Bellenchombre and Arthur Delamotte

Like: a little short. Erwan, a young solitary fisherman, discovers a drag queen cabaret in Dieppe. Touching in its portrayal of a few wounded souls, the film shows little more, due to a scenario that is unfortunately limited. (With Maxime Sartori, Fabrice Morio, Alonso Ojeda. 1h35.)

“Super Seniors,” by Dan Lobb

Like: lack of bounce. Four tennis players from the “super seniors” category, aged 82 to 95, are going to the world championships. This documentary clearly shows the bodies that resist and the ills of aging, but runs out of steam over the length. (With the voices of Leonid Stanislavskyi, Patrick Chesnais, Etty Marouani. 1h37.)

“What do we do now?”, by Lucien Jean-Baptiste

Like: we don’t know. There is little consistency or real jokes in this comedy about a laid-off senior who starts his own business. The story goes in a thousand directions, to the point that we no longer know what it claims. (With Isabelle Nanty, Gérard Darmon, Lucien Jean-Baptiste. 1h31.)