Film-Forward

Drama

War of the Buttons

Directed by Christohe Barratier Produced by Thomas Langmann Written by Stephane Keller, Barratier & Philipe Lopes Curval, based on the novel by Louis Pergaud Released by the Weinstein Company France. 90 min. PG-13 With Guiluame Canet, Laetitia Casta, Kad Merad, Jean Texier & Clement Godefroy Film festival fodder from the likes of Olivier Assayas, Claire […]

Little White Lies

Written & Directed by Guillaume Canet Produced by Alain Attal Released by MPI Pictures French with English subtitles France. 154 min. Not rated With Jean Dujardin, Marion Cotillard, François Cluzet, Benoît Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Joël Dupuch & Laurent Lafitte From the get-go, Little White Lies intentionally feels like a French, modern day The Big Chill; […]

The Well-Digger’s Daughter

Written & Directed by Daniel Auteuil, based on the work by Marcel Pagnol Produced by Alain Sarde & Jerome Seydoux Released by Kino Lorber French with English subtitles France. 110 min. Not rated With Daniel Auteuil, Kad Merad, Sabine Azéma, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Nicolas Duvauchelle & Astrid Bergès-Frisbey In the world of French playwright-director-screenwriter Marcel Pagnol, […]

Unforgivable

Directed & Written by André Téchiné Produced by Saïd Ben Saïd Written by Mr. Téchiné, Mehdi Ben Attia & Philippe Djian, based on the novel Impardonnables by Djian Released by Strand Releasing French & Italian with English subtitles France. 110 min. Not rated With André Dussollier, Carole Bouquet, Mélanie Thierry & Adriana Asti, Mauro Conte […]

Polisse

Directed by Maïwenn Produced by Alain Attal Written by Maïwenn & Emmanuelle Bercot Released by Sundance Selects French with English subtitles France. 127 min. Not rated With Karin Viard, Marina Foïs, Joeystarr, Maïwenn & Emmanuelle Bercot The opening of Polisse announces the assuredness of actress-turned-writer/director Maïwenn’s study of Paris cops working in the Child Protection […]

Goodbye First Love

Written & Directed by Mia Hansen-Love Produced by Philippe Martin & David Thion Released by Sundance Selects French with English subtitles. France/Germany. 110 min. Not rated With Lola Créton, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Magne-Havard Brekke, Valérie Bonneton, Serge Renko & Ozay Fecht Since the beginning of time, people have been falling in and out of love with […]

The Assault

Directed by Julien Leclercq Written by Leclercq & Simon Moutairou Produced by Leclercq, Julien Madon & Marc Olla French & Arabic with English subtitles Released by Screen Media Films France. 90 min. Rated R With Vincent Elbaz, Aymen Saïdi & Mélanie Bernier Director Julien Leclercq’s grippingly re-creates the true story of the hijacking by Arab […]

The Kid With a Bike

Written & Directed by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne Produced by the Dardennes & Denis Frey Released by Sundance Selects French with English subtitles Belgium/France/Italy. 87 min. Rated PG-13 With Cécile de France, Thomas Doret, Jérémie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione & Egon Di Mateo In an act of grand thievery, debut child actor Thomas Doret makes off […]

Declaration of War

Directed by Valérie Donzelli Produced by Edouard Weil Written by Donzelli & Jérémie Elkaïm Released by Sundance Selects. French with English subtitles. France. 100 min. Not rated With Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm, César Desseix, Brigitte Sy, Elina Lowensohn, Michèle Moretti & Philippe Laudenbach Whatever direction Valérie Donzelli takes in her second feature film, she goes […]