SFFS French Cinema Now Seeries, Oct 24-30, 2012

[Chris Knipp]

Index to links to my reviews:

Aliyah (Elie Wajeman 2012)--FCN
All Together (Stéphane Robelin 2012)--FCN
Camille Rewinds (Noémie Lvovsky 2012)--NYFF 2012
Donoma (Djinn Carrénard 2011)--ND/NF 2012
Hores Satan (Bruno Dumont 2011)--Paris Movie Report II 2011
Louise Wimmer (Cyrile Mennegun 2011)--R-V 2012
Mobile Home (Francois Pirot 2012)--FCN
My Worst Nightmare (Anne Fontaine 2011)--FCN
Sister (Ursula Meier 2011)--Paris Movie Report (May 2012)
World Without Women , A (Guillaume Brac 2012)--FCN


My favorite of these is SISTER, by a mile: one of the year's best foreign films. For cinephiles HORS SATAN is a must-see, and DONOMA and ALIYAH and A WORLD WITHOUT WOMEN are first films by exciting new directors. I enjoyed the very French remake of PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, a big hit in France, Noémie Lvovsky's CAMILLE REWINDS. For a socially responsible movie LOUISE WIMMER is worth watching. The other three you can take or leave. This is a good small selection. However, bear in mind that the most important French language films of the year besides SISTER were not included here. But they have US releases: Haneke's AMOUR, Leos Carax's HOLY MOTORS (both NYFF), Jacques Audiard's RUST AND BONE (US release coming). Watch for them, and for SISTER. Metacritic rating of SISTER: 81; of HOLY MOTORS: 86. AMOUR and RUST AND BONE aren't out in the US yet (Oct. 29, 2012) but will rate high. A great new French film about politics, released this time last year in Paris and shown in several US festivals: Pierre Schöller's THE MINISTER. Other titles that might have been included are Matthieu Kassowitz's REBELLION, Robert Guédiguian's SNOWS OF KILAMANJARO. Don't forget what was not only the most successful French film of the past year but 2nd biggest French box office film ever, INTOUCHABLES, still showing in New York.