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PERFECT NANNY/CHANSON DOUCE (Lucie Borleteau 2019)
From Leïla Slimani''s Goncourt-winning bestseller - but the nanny from hell story fizzles a bit despite Karin Viard. Some precision and control of defense are lacking.
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MAMOUNA DOUCOURÉ: CUTIES/MIGNONNES (MAMOUNA DOUCOURÉ 2020)
Uneven but vibrant movie about an 11-year-old girl in the Paris banlieue of Senegalese origin torn between a traditional family and an inappropriately sexy dance group. The camera of Yann Maritaud captures colorful people and action.
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The 2020 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema ends abruptly.
AN EASY GIRL/UNE FILLE FACILE (Rebecca Zlotowski 2019)
Sensuous sun-kissed coming-of-age moment, evoking Rohmer & Bardot, a free older friend who's the eternal feminine, a naive poor local girl respected by the millionaire's friend (Magimel). This seemed slight and familiar yet it left me with a pleasant feeling.
. . . a feeling that was dampened abruptly on walking out of the Walter Reade Theater only to learn that due to the virus the rest of the Rendez-Vous was cancelled. That meant no Filmleaf "live" coverage of these seven additional Rendez-Vous films:
Those links are to sites where reviews may appear later. For now, you will find only a still, a festival blurb, a few details.
This was a disappointment, but an even greater gap appeared later when Lincoln Center announced the discontinuation of all film presentations for the near future. This meant cancellation of the sixteen New Directors/New Films press screenings scheduled for next week at two venues.
So, altogether, 23 new films that can't be covered here now.
Last edited by Chris Knipp; 03-15-2020 at 04:26 PM.
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Last edited by Chris Knipp; 04-28-2020 at 01:23 AM.
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JEANNE (Bruno Dumont 2019)
Sadly, the quirky French auteur from the north of France (where he makes all his films), so many of his films have been strange and remarkable, disappoints pretty totally here, providing a dull and overlong version of the wartime failures (described remotely) and trial (depicted numbingly) of Joan of Arc. The young star, though, has unshakable conviction and a powerful gaze.
For the moment, you can watch it free from Film at Lincoln Center via Festival Scope, here:
https://www.festivalscope.com/all/fi...-arc/auto-play
Last edited by Chris Knipp; 04-14-2020 at 01:54 AM.
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ISADORA'S CHILDREN/LES ENFANTS D'ISADORA (Damien Manivel 2019)
Also available free currently from Festival Scope for Film at Lincoln Center, more Rendez-Vous catchup - another of the seven I could not see due to the early cancellation of the series. Focused on a dance called "Mother" by Isadora Duncan belatedly expressing feelings from her grief over the tragic loss of two young children. Encourages a contemplative mood. It will be too slow and uneventful for many viewers.
It was accessible here:
https://www.festivalscope.com/all/fi...dren/auto-play
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SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE/DEUX MOI (Cédric Klapisch 2019)
An unhappy young man and woman with issues to resolve live side by side unknowingly in a cheaper part of Paris near the Gare du Nord. A cute but somewhat self-defeating premise is that Klapisch keeps them parallel but apart till the last few minutes when at last they meet cute. A lackluster Klapissh effort compared to such hits as L'Auberge Espagnole or Russian Dolls, but the actors have plenty of charm and Klapisch himself has a warm heart.
Available on-demand now via Metropolitan Virtual Theater and that's how I saw it, because the Rendez-Vous was shut down early for the pandemic before I got to see it.
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