The L’OR French Film Festival is back with another huge lineup of French cinema, playing across Aotearoa through May, June and July. Travis Johnson introduces you to the films you’ll want to say “bonjour” to (unless you go to an evening session, in which case it’s “bonsoir”).
The French Film Festival Aotearoa is always an important day on any film fiend’s calendar. The French love cinema, and they make a lot of it—340 feature films in 2021 alone! We get the crossover hits at the multiplex, of course, but the French Film Festival Aotearoa allows us to sample from a wider menu, with something sure to please the palate of every picture house patron.
This year is a particularly rich one, offering bold new dramas, winning romantic comedies, and insightful documentaries. Indeed, it can be tough taking a highlighter to the programme—this is an embarrassment of cinematic riches.
So, if you find yourself having to make some tough choices about this year’s programme, we are only too happy to help. Starting with…
Masquerade
Aspiring dancer Adrien (Pierre Niney) sees his dreams shattered after suffering a debilitating injury, and soon finds himself using his good looks and charm to seduce wealthy older women. He’s content with his latest conquest/victim, Martha (the legendary Isabelle Adjani) when he finds himself entranced by the lovely Margot (Marine Vacth), herself a con artist who draws him into a scheme to fleece property mogul Simon (François Cluzet), From there unfolds a sexy, seductive and very French tale of love, lust, and lies, courtesy of director Nicolas Bedos.
Country Cabaret
His dairy farm on the verge of financial collapse, recently separated David (Alban Ivanov) hits upon the idea of staging a one-off cabaret show in the barn. Gathering an enthusiastic team of supporters, including Sabrina Ouazani’s glamorous headline dancer, he sets about to do the seemingly impossible—bring some Parisian glitz to his bucolic village. Directed by Jean-Pierre Améris and based on an incredible true story, Country Cabaret is a quirky feel-good comedy for the ages.
Jack Mimoun and the Secrets of Val Verde
Billed as “Indiana Jones meets Monty Python”, this satirical gem sees Malik Bentalha as the titular adventurer, who has found fame making documentaries about his solitary life on a rugged tropical island. The twist is that it’s all a big lie—a carefully stage-managed reality show designed to make our hero look good. But when he falls for Aurélie (Joséphine Japy) he tries to impress her by taking on a real life quest for a lost treasure, and it all works out about as well as you’d expect. Fans of Romancing the Stone and The Lost City will love this one—and if the title sounds familiar, you’re not wrong.
On the Wandering Paths
The second of acclaimed author Sylvain Tesson’s books to be brought to the screen following 2021’s nature documentary The Velvet Queen, On the Wandering Paths stars Jean Dujardin as Tesson who, recovering from a debilitating injury that threatens to rob him of his adventurous life, undertakes a solo hike through across the French countryside as an act of physical and psychological rehabilitation. Directed by Denis Imbert, this is a life-affirming meditation on the landscape and our relationship to it.
Notre Dame on Fire
Academy Award-winning director Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Name of the Rose) brings us this incredible recreation of the fire that tore through Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019 and the response to it. As the blaze rages out of control, rescue teams strive to safeguard the lives of civilians, and to save as many of the cathedral’s priceless art treasures as possible. Arnaud eschews documentary-style shooting in favour of a more cinematic approach, rendering the disaster as an epic battle to save the very soul of France.
The Origin of Evil
Director Sébastien Marnier brings us this sharply observant crowd favourite, an official selection for the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals that drew comparisons to Knives Out and Succession. When working class Stephane (Call My Agent’s Laure Calamy) turns up on the doorstep of plutocrat Serge (Jacques Weber) and says she’s his long-lost daughter, much to the consternation of his wife and children, who are waiting on the old guy to die and think she’s after his money. And perhaps she is—the role of villain and victim gets reversed a lot in this tidy, luxuriant class thriller.
November
Having won acclaim at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, Cédric Jimenez’s tense, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller is here to blow local audiences away. Paralleling Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, November takes us into the immediate aftermath of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, as the French police hastily assemble a crack team to hunt down those responsible. Starring Sandrine Kiberlain, Jean Dujardin, and Anaïs Demoustier, this tense real life drama smashed the French box office last year and is a must-see for fans of the form.
The Innocent
Multi-hyphenate talent Louis Garrel brings us another enjoyable dramedy following Two Friends and A Faithful Man, writing, directing and starring in this fun heist caper. When his mother Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg) plans to open a florist shop with her ex-con boyfriend Michel (Roschdy Zem), widowed marine biologist Abel (Garrel) smells something fishy. Turns out he’s right, and soon finds himself drawn into a plot to steal a shipment of caviar to pay off Michel’s criminal debts. Soon Abel and his co-worker Clémence (Noémie Merlant) find themselves caught up in a crazy web of double-crosses in this brisk genre mash-up.
Simone: Woman of the Century
Elsa Zylberstein stars as French politician and magistrate Simone Veil in this gripping historical biopic. A Holocaust survivor, a fierce advocate for women’s rights, and one time President of the European Parliament, Veil bore witness to—and frequently helped cause—countless monumental shifts in French society and law through the tumultuous back half of the 20th century. Having previously directed La Vie En Rose and Grace of Monaco, filmmaker Olivier Dahan completes his thematic trilogy with this impressive cinematic portrait.
Maria Into Life
Winner of the Audience Award at both the International Francophone Film Festival and the Cabourg Film Festival, this debut feature from acclaimed short film directors Lauriane Escaffre and Yvonnick Muller is sure to strike a chord. A spritely romantic comedy, Maria Into Life sees school cleaner Maria (Karin Viard) and janitor Hubert (Gregory Gadebois) strike sparks when they discover a shared passion for poetry. Shot on location at Paris’ prestigious École des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts), this one offers everything you could want from a light Gallic romance.
The L’OR French Film Festival Aotearoa runs from May 25 – July 5, travelling to Napier, Havelock North, Christchurch, Whitianga, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Masterton, Nelson, Wanaka, Arrowtown, Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Matakana, Dunedin, and New Plymouth. For full details, session times, and tickets, head to the festival website.
