France
In Films of The New French Extremity, Alexandra West studies French horror films which are known for graphically brutal depictions of sex and violence.
On the eve of its 50th anniversary, Claude Berri’s autobiographical drama The Two Of Us remains as heartwarming as ever, offering a look at one of the greatest conflicts in history and the prejudices it triggered through a child’s eyes.
It may sound like exploitative torture porn, but Revenge introduces director Coralie Fargeat as a filmmaker worth your attention – taking problematic genre tropes and subverting them into a vital, exhilarating feminist film.
Director Claire Denis is choosing a more diverse range of film projects than any other time in her career – and it’s best exemplified by Let the Sunshine in, a romcom that subverts genre expectations on the hunt for true love.
Both The Night Eats the World and Cargo, despite their differing subjects and approaches, manage to bring both meat and brains to the zombie film.
Redoutable is an irreverent take on the biopic that gleefully flips the bird at its subject, and takes delight in making him conform to a conventional narrative of the type he grew to detest leading to some of the finest moments of cringe comedy in recent memory.
There are those that may find Sgt. Stubby a little too twee for their tastes and it may not appeal to those who are not won over by doggy antics, but for those that are susceptible to a four legged friend, you will find Stubby a real heart-warmer.
It takes a lot to stand out among the numerous films about the AIDS crisis, but Campillo has managed to craft one that’s certain to stand the test of time. Distinctive characters and an astute understanding of what made ACT UP so memorable shines through in 120 BPM.
Watching Claire’s Camera feels like watching a film being made right in front of you with director Hong laying bare his cinematic style in that he doesn’t know where he’s taking us, but he’s just as interested to find out.
Les Gardiennes is another gracefully-directed film by Beauvois, and it gifts the audience with another perfect arrangement from Legrand, three gripping performances from Smet, Bay, and Bry, and plenty of eye-catching imagery to make up for its lagging pace.
Custody is an impressive debut feature from Xavier Legrand, that manages to avoid exploitation even as it generates untold amounts of tension from a realistic domestic drama.
We had the chance to speak with Laurent Lafitte, star of the upcoming French film See You Up There and Elle. We spoke about how he got the role, Albert Dupontel’s unique directional style and the importance of seeing the film in a cinema.
Despite some real imaginative sequences, which are illuminated by excellent production design and great costume choices, See You Up There’s lacklustre style isn’t consistent, never quite reaching the heights that the absurd tale requires.
Whilst there are some scenes in 12 Days that make you wonder what director Raymond Depardon is trying to say, for the most part his documentary is an engaging exploration into the lives of people at the very edge of society, filmed with warmth, humour and humanity.
Double Lover is a loving and surprisingly artful homage to the genre’s masters, equal parts a silly and stylish trashy erotic thriller with enough twists and turns to delight any mainstream audiences.