Nabil Ayouch’s film Much Loved has won the top prize at the Angoulême French Film Festival which took place over the weekend. Ayouch’s film tells the story of four women working as prostitutes in Morocco’s most popular tourist destination, Marrakesh. It was banned by the Moroccan government after it was screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival…
As Europe struggles to stem the floodtide of refugees crossing its borders, Jacques Audiard’s Dheepan is a grim reminder of the conditions faced by many who successfully make the transition to a new country. It was a controversial choice for this year’s Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the announcement was booed by…
Philippe Le Guay’s Floride boasts a magnificent tour de force by veteran actor Jean Rochefort as a senile octogenerian whose daily existence is a confusing mix of fantasy and reality. Alongside Sandrine Kiberlain as the well-meaning daughter caught between practical necessity and filial duty, the two actors flesh out a scenario which fails to capture the black comedy and the subtle shift in the…
Joann Sfar’s take on Sébastien Japrisot’s 1966 novel is an intriguing, psychological thriller which plunges the audience back into 1970s France lovingly recreated by the director with sexy Scottish-born actress Freya Mavor as the lady of the title. This is the second time Japrisot’s novel has been put on celluloid. Russian born director Anatole Litvak’s…
Marie Belhomme relies solely on the charm of her leading lady, Isabelle Carré, to carry this bittersweet comedy about a lost soul looking for love. It’s a tall order even for someone as experienced as Carré, especially with a plot which has the audience galloping ahead to the punchline way ahead of everyone else. And…