“Their children after them”, “Once upon a time Michel Legrand”, “Limonov, the ballad”…

A successful adaptation of Nicolas Mathieu's novel, a rich documentary on the career of Michel Legrand, the fictionalized portrait of Limonov, heroic hothead. What films to see this week (or not)? Every Wednesday, find our reviews of the latest theatrical releases.

“Their children after them”, by Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma: our favorite

Genre: sentimental epic. In August 1992, in a remote valley in the East, fourteen-year-old Anthony was bored. Until he met Stéphanie. Love at first sight is immediate. Over the course of four summers, we follow the romance of young people from Lorraine, marked by violence and social determinism. A successful adaptation of the novel by Nicolas Mathieu.

“Crossing Istanbul”, de Levan Akin

Genre: initiatory story. In search of her trans niece, kicked out from the family, a retiree, helped by a boy, explores Istanbul. The discovery of an unknown world is at the heart of this adventurous film, which thrills the megalopolis where Europe and Asia meet, but also, here, familiar stories and very separate stories.

“100,000,000,000,000” (One Hundred Thousand Billion), by Virgil Vernier

Genre: urban spleen. Monaco, Christmas Eve. A young escort boy sees his sad existence turned upside down by his meeting with an intriguing child, the daughter of a Chinese billionaire. The director gently examines the wandering of this placid young man in the middle of a gallery of incongruous characters.

“Limonov, la ballade”, de Kirill Serebrennikov

Genre: hothead. Worker, writer, fashion designer, activist, punk, communist, fascist. A bad guy with guts, such was Edward Limonov. The film takes us in the footsteps of a heroic and provocative scoundrel, who left the USSR out of a thirst for all pleasures.

“Wicked”, de Jon M. Chu

Genre: musical comedy. Wicked tells the genesis of the disagreement between the witch of the South and that of the West of Wizard of Oz (1939), in a multicolored pasteboard setting where the animals are gifted with speech… and it is a success. The ultra pop entertainment offers a duo of playful and virtuoso performers (Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo).

“Conclave”, d’Edward Berger

Like: paranoid. As a notable conclave, we remember that ofwe have papa by Nanni Moretti. The main character shares something in common – a serious doubt about his faith and his function – with the divine pope played by Michel Piccoli. The film nevertheless belongs to a very different genre: that of the gripping thriller.

“The Lives of Infamous Men”, by Marianne Pistone and Gilles Deroo

Genre: portrait of a “scoundrel”. Kingdom of France, at the beginning of the 18th century. A man with an unusual personality is sentenced to internment in a psychiatric hospital. Served by non-professional actors, a raw and unusual film.

“A country of resistance”, by Shu Aiello and Catherine Catella

Like: stone in the boot. Focus on a village in Calabria which had made welcoming migrants its future until the surge of the populist wave which plagued Europe. Eight years after recounting the rebirth of the village, the two directors returned there to film the resistance.

“Marmaille”, by Grégory Lucilly

Genre: fraternal odyssey. Reunion. Brutally thrown out by their mother, a teenager and his sister must overcome this trauma in order to try to rebuild themselves. A poignant first film, in Reunion Creole.

“Once upon a time there was Michel Legrand”, by David Hertzog Dessites

Genre: homage. This documentary full of testimonies passionately retraces the career of this musician, singer, composer, arranger, true virtuoso who never stopped pushing the boundaries of his art.

“Shambhala, the kingdom of heaven”, by Min Bahadur Bham

Genre : haute altitude. In the Tibetan Himalayas, a young woman who tries to deny an offensive rumor sees this quest for truth transform into self-discovery.

“Daddio”, de Christy Hall

Like: failed date. A young woman jumps into a taxi after arriving in New York. The driver strikes up an unexpected conversation with his passenger about sensitive topics like love, loss, sex and power dynamics in relationships. Ultra classic, not to say retrograde.

“Niko the little reindeer, mission Santa Claus”, by Kari Juusonen and Jørgen Lerdam

Gender: to wait. Niko leaves his family to try to become a member of Santa's flying reindeer team and there meets Stella, a talented young reindeer. When Santa's sleigh disappears, Niko and his friends head to the frozen North to find him in time and save Christmas.