Find our selection of reviews of films for the week of October 16, 2024.
An XXL love story, the new gem from the author of “My Life as a Courgette”, the new country film by Alain Guiraudie, a little walk in the forest and a first sensitive and Parisian French film: moviegoers have the spoiled for choice for the holidays.
“Phew love” by Gilles Lellouche (3/5)
With Adèle Exarchopoulos, François Civil, Mallory Wanecque, Alain Chabat…
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Gilles Lellouche’s third film as a director, “L’amour ouf” was preceded – before its presentation in Cannes this Thursday, May 23, by a crazy rumor: we were going to discover a great choral film, with a brilliant cast, which would give us move us and make us cry.
So we saw. We first saw 80 sumptuous minutes, carried by two actors with explosive talent, Mallory Wannecque and Malik Frikah. We discovered them in the North of France at the beginning of the 80s – the album “Seventeen Seconds” by Cure had just been released and Clotaire took it to the local record store to offer it to Jacqueline, “the new one”, whom he will nickname “Jackie”. Immediate love at first sight for these two teenagers who are completely opposite: she lives alone in a house with her father (Alain Chabat, impeccable) after the death of her mother, he is part of a large family, skips school and plays boss. She is wise and well-bred, he is a thug and speaks badly to people.
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But their story is woven before our moved eyes, first exchanges, first kisses. Gilles Lellouche films them with infinite tenderness, guiding the viewer towards a drama that we feel coming. Because of his relationships, Clotaire is going to mess around. And even fall for the murder of a cash courier that he did not commit. Benjamin Locoge
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“Savages” by Claude Barras (5/5)
With the voices of Babette De Coster, Martin Verset, Laetitia Dosch
It was our favorite at the last Cannes Film Festival, a marvel of animated poetry that will make young and old children think. After “My Life as a Courgette”, Swiss director Claude Barras returns to his little puppets with big eyes, this time plunging them into the primary forest of Borneo, its giant trees and its colorful creatures. And the magic happens again, not only does the film intelligently address the issue of industrial exploitation but it offers constant jubilation in just discovering the local fauna and flora. Claude Barras even takes the liberty of reproducing almost identically a scene from James Cameron’s “Avatar”. Except that the lost paradise is on Earth, which we must fight to preserve. And the words of Daniel Balavoine explode in our faces: all the SOS cries leave a trace of which the foam is the beauty. Among the young shoots who will discover the film, perhaps there will be the future Jane Goodall. Yannick Vely
“Miséricorde” by Alain Guiraudie (3/5)
With Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand…
After a visit to Clermont-Ferrand (the underrated “Viens je t’emmène”), Alain Guiraudie returns to the Cévennes for a mushroom western or a forest thriller (all four combinations work). Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) returns to Saint-Martial for the funeral of his former baker boss. He stays with his widow, Martine, but very quickly his return to his roots causes a series of events… The law of desire imposes itself on everyone, poor fishermen, hunter-gatherers and understanding abbot. Alain Guiraudie takes his time to explain the situation, films the landscapes of Ardèche as well as the Great American West and creates a colorful tragicomedy, always with immoderate love for his characters. Yannick Vely
« Bambi » by Michel Fessler (3/5)
With the voice of Mylène Farmer
The story is eternal, moving, heartbreaking. But by adapting it into live action, Michel Fessler (co-writer among others of “The Emperor’s March”) adds an essential ingredient to the tale written by Felix Salten, that of reality. Closer to an animal documentary than to fiction, the film certainly follows the destiny of the little fawn (the death of its mother, the meeting with Faline, the reunion with its father) but to better turn towards the ecological fable, the beauty and the harshness of nature, a parable on the precarious animal condition. The other great idea of the film lies in the choice of Mylène Farmer to tell it, her deep and enigmatic voice bringing a surplus of sweetness and mystery. Even though we know his story, Bambi never stops making you shudder… Fabrice Leclerc
“Barbes, Little Algeria” by Hassan Guerrar (4/5)
With Sofiane Zermani, Khalil Gharbia, Khaled Benaissa…
As a preamble and so that you understand the position of the journalists with regard to “Barbès, Little Algeria”, imagine that among the twenty students with whom you did all your schooling, one or one of them becoming your teacher during studies that you have belatedly decided to resume… That would be funny to you, wouldn’t it? Well there, with “Barbès, Little Algeria”, it’s the same for the critics who have always known the director since he has been a press officer for many years, a shadowy job which consists of promoting films and serve as a link between talent and the media.
In the genre, Hassan Guerrar, that’s his name, is a funny zebra. His volcanic character has burned more than one, but his frankness is matched only by his passion for cinema which taught him everything – and when I say everything, that’s everything: to write, to read , speak, listen… This self-taught man started out in the service of Jacques Leitienne, a distributor producer capable of financing “Better to be rich and in good health” by Max Pécas like “L’innocent” by Luchino Visconti, to then take care of and launch authors like Mathieu Kassovitz (“Hate”) or Abdellatif Kechiche (Guerrar is even co-producer of “La vie d’Adèle”!). And then, during confinement, he tells his neighbor Audrey Diwan (whose films he also takes care of) what is happening in their neighborhood, near the Saint-Bernard church where he helps distribute packages food, or the Goutte d’or where everyone leads their lives without taking into account health restrictions. A world apart, the antithesis of the clichés conveyed by the media in need of news items.
The screenwriter-director of “The Event” and the novelist and political scientist Rachid Benzine help and push their friend to give birth to his first screenplay… which he will have to direct! Thus was born “Barbes, Little Algeria”, which follows Malek (played by Sofiane Zermani who offers himself his entry ticket to the A list of actors), alter-ego of Hassan who moves to Barbès, welcoming his newly arrived nephew from Algeria. While the whole world is confined, the two discover a universe populated by irresistible characters, sometimes truculent, sometimes profound, sometimes both, and where generosity and solidarity prevail over the surrounding misery and violence. And it is clear that this first feature film is an undeniable success through the mastery of image and editing governed by admirable sobriety. There are many layers in the story concocted by Guerrar, some of which have a double bottom that he is polite enough to leave guessed rather than immodestly revealing the contents. The emotion felt is even stronger. Thanks to him. And well done. Christophe Carrière
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