1999 French Film Festival History

Hi Cousin
Salut Cousin
directed by Merzak Allouache, France 1996, 98 minutes
    Some have called this film a Gallic “Odd Couple” as we find Alilo, a sweet-natured country bumpkin who arrives fresh from Algeria and is amazed by the flamboyant lifestyle of his urbanized cousin Mok. Mok is an aspiring rap singer and a hopeless gambler who forms a sharp contrast to the neat and conservative Alilo. In a fantastic climax, Mok takes Alilo on an E.T.-inspired motorbike ride over the city’s magically lit streets.
cast Magaly Bertly, Gad Elmaleh, Ann Gisel Glass, Mess Hattou

Living in Paradise
Vire au paradis
directed by Bourlem Guerdjou, France 1998, 105 minutes
    1961-1962, the Algerian war is under way. Lakhdar, an immigrant construction worker, lives in the Nanterre shantytown. He can no longer live alone without his wife and children whom he has left in Southern Algeria. Once he succeeds in bringing his family to France, he starts looking for an apartment to give them a decent life. In the meantime, he tries as best as he can to keep their heads above water and the poverty line. But he proves to be no match for the shantytown. To obtain the apartment of his dreams, Lakhtar becomes one of those profiteers who live off their brothers; backs by renting sleeping spaces to them. Jus as he is about to reach his goal, at the cost of a betrayal, History strikes back at him through the unexpected political commitment of his wife Nora….
cast Roschdy Zem, Fadila Belkrebla, Omar Bekhaled, Hiam Abbas, Farida Rabouadj, Ramsi Brari, Mustapha Adouani

Memories of Immigrants
Mémoires d’immigrés
directed by Yamina Benguigui, France 1997, 150 minutes
    This film explores the historical, social and cultural dimensions of the immigration from North Africa to France. Drawing on extensive inter views as well as archival images, it beautifully evokes the long and difficult process of implantation in a new country and the changing attitudes of the French government and society towards its immigrants. Mémoires d’immigrés created a sensation in France when it was released in 1998. It provided the first strong voice for Maghreb immigrants in the heated debate on immigration.

Post Coïtum
Post Coïtum, animal triste
directed by Brigitte Roüan, France 1997, 97 minutes
    As the film begins, Diane, a successful book editor happily married with two children, seems to have it all. Then she meets Emilio, the young roommate of one of her authors, and experiences a sexual passion beyond anything she has ever felt before. Jeopardizing her family and her career, she becomes consumed by their intense love affair. When Emilio leaves her, however, Diane suffers a total breakdown. Actress/director Roüan does not shy away from showing both the joy and the immense suffering that can result when you give yourself completely to another human being. Screenplay by Brigitte Roüan.
cast Brigitte Roüan, Nils Tavernier, Boris Terrai, Patrick Chesnais, Jean-Louis Richard, Françoise Arnol

The Life of Jesus
La vie de Jésus
directed by Bruno Demont, France 1997, 92 minutes
    An unflinching look at life in Northern France, La vie de Jésus won the prestigious Jean Vigo Prize for first film. Dumont’s story focuses on the character of Freddy, an unemployed quasi-skinhead whose life revolves around his girlfriend Marie, their episodes of raw, passionless sex, and his motor scooter. The frustration and boredom Freddy and his dead-beat friends suffer comes to a head when Kadar, the son of Arab immigrants, takes an interest in Marie.
cast David Douche, Marjorie Cottreel, Geneviève Cottreel, Kader Chaatouf, Sébastien Delbaere

The Sentinel
La Sentinelle
directed by Arnaud Desplechin, France 1998, 144 minutes
    This intriguing conspiracy drama is an intense psychological exploration of Cold war politics. Mathias, Barillet, son of a German border guard, moves to France to study forensics. He finds himself being used as a pawn in a game of espionage where the rules are as mysterious as the stakes. A complex and fascinating first feature from a filmmaker worth watching. Screen play by Arnaud Desplechin, Emmanuel Bourdieu
cast Emmanuel Salinger, Valerie Dreville, Bruno Todeschini

The Swindle
Au Coeur du mensonge
directed by Claude Chabrol, France 1998, 104 minutes
    On the heels of his 1995, La Céremonie, Claude Chabrol teams up with Isabelle Huppert and Michel Serrault for a stylish study of a pair of swindlers. Betty (Huppert) and Victor (Serrault) are content with small-time scams, until one day Betty lands a potential big score in the form of Maurice who has his hands on 5 million francs. The only question is, whose side is Betty on: Maurice’s, Victor’s or her own?
cast Isabelle Huppert, Micel Serrault, François Cluzet

To Have (or not)
En avoir (or pas)
directed by Laetitia Masson, France 1996, 90 minutes
    Shot in Super 16 using available light and actual locations, this first feature by Laetitia Masson is a love story with a social conscience. Alice, fired from her job in a fish packing plant, escapes her mundane life in rural France to try her luck in Lyon. While staying in a traveller’s hotel, she encounters an unusual cast of characters. Alice forms an uneasy bond with Bruno, and insomniac, axs hey search together for some meaning in life. Screenplay by Laetitia Masson.
cast Sandrine Kiberlain, Arnaud Giovaninetti, Roschdy Zem, Claire Denis

Western
directed by Manuel Poirier, France 1997, 121 minutes
    After his samples are stolen by a hitchhiker who drives away with his car, Paco, a Spanish shoe salesman, is stranded in a small town in Brittany. He falls in love with a local woman and eventually even forms an unusual alliance with Nino, the car thief. When Paco’s new girlfriend tells him that she needs some space, it is Nino who suggests they hit the road. Their travels bring them into contact with the people of the French countryside, where each new experience tests the bonds of their friendship. Screenplay by Manuel Poirier.
cast Dominique Reymond, Daniel Duval, Jessica, Martinez, Alexandre Roger, Xavier Colonna

Will It Snow for Christmas?
Y aura-t-il de la neige à Noël?
directed by Sandrine Veysset, France 1997, 90 minutes
    A contemplative and remarkable portrait of daily life on a rural French farm where a single mother cares for her seven illegitimate children. Treated like slave labor by their domineering father, the family sotically endures the hardship of this almost unbearably harsh environment and struggle to find joy in life-s more simple pleasures. Shot on location with a cast of non-professional actors, Veysset’s first film is a worthy heir to the long legacy of realism in French cinema.
cast Sergei Lopez, Sacha Bourdo, Elizabeth Vitali, Marie Matheron