Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

10/10 Bruno and Malik couldn’t be too different. Bruno is Jewish, Malik is Arab. Bruno is a loner Malik is a family man. But they are united to help children with autism. And this passion drives every day of their life. We often forget what a definition of a good person is. In THE EXTRAORDINARY it’s those who don’t look away and don’t give up when things get hard. Once again the duo Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano (The Intouchables) wrote and directed a film about real people standing up to great hardships, and they’ve done it with a lot of heart, humour and no preaching.  The film’s first shot could be one from a thriller - a young girl is running from her pursuers through the city steers, only to be caught and drugged into a van, which quickly drives away. This is a common theme of the film - a fight with preconceptions. What seems like a kidnapping is actually a rescue mission. Nakache and Toledano created a perfect style of story telling - through small character story...

6/10 Alice is a philosopher who is invited to work for  the Mayor of Lyon.  Paul, the Mayor has reached the time in his life where he is suffering from a lack of new ideas, both political and of any other kind. Alice, unknowingly to herself is also having a crisis of self belief. Can these two very different people complete each other? What are the defining characteristics of a real friendship? ALICE AND THE MAYOR is a slice of life gentle sort of film that touches lightly upon serious problems. There are no higher stakes and dramatic turns. But it’s a timely reminder that those are often not needed to have a turmoil in one’s soul. The main focus of the film is in dialogue. It is swift, precise, somewhat intellectual but never snobbish.  There are many characters, some are memorable even though they fleetingly enter and leave the scene. Fabrice Luchini, as the mayor, is warm, with not being overly friendly, and stern in a way that comes out as gentle. It’s a com...

8/10 Commissar Yacoub Daoud knows his multicultural community. In fact he was one of those migrants himself once upon a time, but now calls northern France home. We follow him through his busy days on the job as he investigates a disappearance, an arson and a murder with some unexpected results. Director Arnaud Desplechin does slightly provocative serious dramas with a lot of dialogue. He had had mixed results over the years, with his film Ismael’s Ghosts being a confusing mess according to some. Here, however the artistry gives way to an intelligent cop movie, where  the realism hits a sour spot. While OH MERCY! feels fresh, there’s nothing innovative about its approach. This is how they made procedural police films in the 80’s, only instead of Roschdy Zem you would have gotten Lino Ventura. Talking about Roschdy Zem, this is one of the most versatile modern French actors, who has a unique presence in action, comedy or serious drama. He and Lea Seydoux, who plays one of...

7/10 Pierre takes over his fathers farm at the age of twenty five. He loves the land and his family, wife and two children. They are a happy tightly knit unit and it seems there’s no hardship they cannot overcome. But as the debts mount and the business spirals out of control, how long will it be until Pierre breaks under the pressure? IN THE NAME OF THR LAND is an unflinching look at what it is to be a farmer in France. The beauty, the isolation, the rewarding hard work and the financial reward that doesn’t always match the effort that was put in. The best thing about the film is the acting. Guillaume Canet deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of a good man in crisis.  Eduardo Bergeron is a documentary director and the film at times feels as such. You almost expect a voice over commenting on what’s going on. Bergeron does not use the shaky camera move or first person shots to make the movie feel real. The tension and drama here comes solely through the performances and su...

6/10 Sibyl wants to stop her psychiatry practice in order to write the next great French novel. But not before she agrees to treat a pregnant girl who is in love with a famous actor. Fast forward a few weeks, and Sybil is suddenly in the middle of a Love triangle (or is it trapezium?), that opens old wounds and make her question her perception of reality. Who needs therapy now? Independent director Justine Triet has been praised by the critics for her previous works that underline social and political problems. Here we deal with a crisis of a domestic nature and one wonders if the film is based on the director's personal experience. SYBIL cannot be called feminist even though it features plenty of strong women making tough choices. The problem is that those female characters are all despicable and hardly inspire any sympathy from the viewer. The story is patchworky and, while intriguing, it takes a long time to get to the meat of things. Erotic scenes while well made seem irre...

10/10 Victor and Marianne are in their early seventies. While Marianne refuses to grow up Victor struggles to adapt to a modern world full of gadgets and the virtual reality of the internet. A present from his son - a successful media businessman turns his life upside down as he is allowed to relive the best days of his youth.  Once again a romantic comedy where the protagonist tries another chance with his past. However this time around the premise does not include literal time travel or rewriting of history. If TRUMAN SHOW was a romantic comedy you’d get LA BELLE EPOQUE. It is also refreshing to see French acting royalty Daniel Auteuil and Fanny Ardant in the main roles. Sparks fly when they are together on screen and it is realistic, exciting and intense. The script is extremely clever, well paced and filled with hilarious situations.  Sometimes everything comes together in a film - the music, the acting, the direction, all supporting an original story that digs ...