Rust and Bone
Few films come along and conquer new territory in the way of cinematic storytelling like Rust and Bone. From the opening sequence—a mosaic of images that circle back to the face of a small boy, his lips and nose traced by some unknown finger—to the final scene of a family that almost wasn’t, Jacques Audiard’s latest feature film is a bold and visionary work of art.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsWar of the Buttons
Transplanted to 1944 Nazi-occupied France, Louis Pergaud’s 1912 Lord of the Flies-esque novel about a play war between the boys of two neighboring villages takes on metaphoric significance in this adaptation helmed by The Chorus’ Christophe Barratier. Classically styled with a sweeping score, dramatic crane shots and golden hues, War of the Buttons is adorable but sentimental, an earnest whitewash of a painful period during World War II.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsFarewell, My Queen
On the eve of the French Revolution, everyone is a prisoner. The starving sans-culottes are powerless prisoners of a government that parties more effectively than it governs. The royals are no better off, as their opulence does nothing to protect them from the angry radicals out to behead them, and their money squandering has rendered them prisoners of their own country. Perhaps their servants—caught somewhere in between the two worlds—are the only ones with any freedom.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsAmericano
In the beginning of Americano, Mathieu Demy (also the writer and director) plays Martin so dispassionately, one is immediately interested in seeing how his character’s nature will evolve over the course of the film. In the first scene, he is dispassionately making love, then he responds dispassionately to news that his mother is dead, and then he heads to America (dispassionately) to sell her house and get her final things in order. One soon realizes that this is the depth of Demy’s arc—he is not unbearably cold or distant in an attempt to hide Martin’s real passion beneath the surface;... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsThe Intouchables
As crowd-pleasing as it is irreverent, France’s box-office smash The Intouchables, about a quadriplegic aristocrat and his ex-con caretaker, arrives stateside with an American remake already in the works. Don’t miss this opportunity to see the original, though, as some of the comedy drama’s racier elements are likely to be tamed for audiences sensitive to issues of class, race and disability.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsPolisse
Police officers in the Child Protection Unit lead incredibly difficult lives and operate much like a dysfunctional family. At least, that’s what Polisse, the winner of the Jury prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, would have us believe.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsGoodbye First Love
Goodbye First Love is a small, sweet film that tells an old story with some new twists. While many films embrace the theme of young love, French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve takes an almost dispassionate approach; her characters are not especially precocious or quirky, or even exceptional. Instead, they really are “just” a couple of kids in love, making the story all the more relatable. With a gentle, hands-off approach, Hansen-Løve gives us a love story of modest (rather than epic) proportions.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsTomboy
Laure (Zoé Héran) is going through a lot: Her dad got a new job, so her family had to move—again. Her mom is about give birth to her baby brother. And all of her new friends think she’s a boy.... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsManu Chao Announces U.S. Tour Dates
Manu Chao has just announced his return to the States.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsI Kiffe NY, CMJ showcase French hip hop at Hiro Ballroom
[Above: La Caution]Though Parisian MCs and DJs have most often garnered attention for their exercises in civil disobedience, the I Kiffe NY festival, which started on October 6 and lasts till the 28th, has taken a lighter approach to its display of France's urban arts and culture. On Oct. 24, the festival's procession of film, dance, music and lecture events will culminate at CMJ's French New Talents showcase at the Hiro Ballroom, featuring musicians La Caution, Mangu and Wax Tailor. ... read more
Found in: Local:NYC
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