Lost Illusions
France's big Cesar winner for 2022 is a sumptuous romp in La Belle Epoque. Xavier Giannoli’s adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s story charts the origins of tabloid journalism, influencer culture and -quelle surprise!- fake news, in recounting the mixed fortunes of a hapless poet desperate to make an honest name for himself, even if he has to take dishonest means to do so. Wildly sardonic and featuring a who's-who of French cinema, it's definitely one to put on your watchlist for this year's festival, ahead of its later release into cinemas.
Happening
The 2021 Venice Golden Lion winner is a visceral experience, as we watch a promising young student in 1960s France go to increasingly desperate lengths to halt the onset of an unwanted pregnancy. Writer/director Audrey Diwan brings lived experience to her adaptation of Annie Ernaux's memoir. Her intelligent direction underscores the total lack of agency that Anne (Annamaria Vartolemei, incredible) has about what is happening to her body, even in the moments of conception. As the timeline drags on, Vartolomei's petrified eyes swell in direct proportion to her belly.
Petite Maman
It's hard to put into words how much I love this film; I saw it over a year ago and just thinking about it makes me well up (uh-oh, here I go again). Celine Sciamma makes a haunting and hopeful fairytale for the ages, from the story of an eight year-old making her own sense of the loss of her beloved granny. As her family strains under the sad task of clearing a house of generations of memories, little Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) wanders into the woods and makes a new, though oddly familiar, friend in Marion (played by Sanz's real-life twin, Gabrielle). The cheeky lookalikes get along like a house on fire, and their shared experiences of (very) similar life moments sets them up on a path to greater understanding of family and how to cope with the Big Things that life throws at you. A wonderful film made under the sign of Miyazaki, with a joyously chaotic pancake making scene, to boot.
Everything Went Fine
André Dussollier and Sophie Marceau are magnificent in Francois Ozon's moving story of euthanasia, as a look father and daughter whose complicated relationship is thrown into sharp relief when he asks for her to help him die. Adapted from Emmanuelle Bernheim's autobiographical novel, Ozon directs with assuredness and the result is deeply affecting, without veering into sentimentality. In flashback, 'Manue' relives her dad's cruel taunts, and she endures his sharp-tounged critiques with some low-level fantasies of offing him. In the present day, a stroke has silenced his strong voice, and his imposing presence is vastly reduced. Manue doesn't half appreciate the irony of his commanding her to undertake the quiet business of getting him to Switzerland to an assisted dying clinic.
The Braves
Anaïs Volpe brings an American indie feeling to her joyous, precocious celebration of life and female friendship. There's a vibrant life force beating in every frame, centred by whole-hearted performances by Souheila Yacoub and Déborah Lukumuenna, as emerging actors, minor rivals, and the very best of friends, who don't stop for anything, until life gets in the way.
Be sure to check out the full program of the as it travels to your state throughout March. And relive classics of festivals past with our special curated collection at SBS On Demand, hand-picked by Festival Director Karine Mauris.
