The 5 French films to watch on TV5MONDE in November
For better or for worse, family ties make a great story, whether it's ancestral history in L'antiquaire, blended families in Comment j'ai rencontré mon père, or staging a bank hold up to help a sick brother in Amis Publics.
Amis publics (2016)
November 4 at 9:30PM ET/6:30PM PT, with English subtitles
A thrilling chase story, starring French heart throb Kev Adams, Amis Publis takes us through all of the adventures of a well intentioned bromance going wrong. If you're in the mood for a bumbling frat house version of Ocean's 11, look no further.
In order to fulfill the dream of his sick younger brother, Leo and his best friends organize a false robbery. But on D-day, they arrive at the wrong bank: the false robbery turns into a real hold-up ... Then begins the extraordinary adventure of public friends!
"The script has many ideas, proving to be very likeable and efficient..." Cineman
Directed by: Édouard Pluvieux
Cast: Kev Adams (Léo), Vincent Elbaz (Bartoloméo), Paul Bartel (Ben), Chloé Coulloud (Ana), John Eledjal (Franck), Majid Berhila (Lounès), Guy Lecluyse (Bruno), Anne Suarez (la commissaire), Franck Bellocq (Éric), Rebecca Azan (Stéphanie)
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 1hr 38m
L'antiquaire (2015)
November 11 at 8.30PM ET/5:30PM PT, with English subtitles
François directs a unique and fascinating concept of a film, putting together a jigsaw puzzle of mystery, historical perspective, and deep family secrets. A well-worth it piece, harboring stories untold.
Esther, a 30-year-old woman, searches for the collection of paintings stolen from her Jewish family during the War. Along the way, while uncovering deeply buried family secrets, she rediscovers her father.
"A fine film, in which a family's unmentionable secrets are interwoven with modern European history, and in which memory, identity, art and imagination dance together and intermingle." - cineuropa
Directed by: François Margolin
Cast:Anna Sigalevitch (Esther), Michel Bouquet (Raoul), Robert Hirsch (Weinstein), François Bérléand (Simon), Louis-Do de Lencquesaing (Melchior), Adam Sigalevitch (Gaspard), Benjamin Siksou (Jean), Alice de Lencquesaing (Jeanne)
Genre: Drama
Runtime : 1hr 25m
Dieumerci! (2016)
November 18 at 8.30PM ET/5:30 PM PT, with English subtitles
The closest the French get to a screw-ball comedy, DieuMerci! is a lighthearted ball of energy and laughs. The message and performance of chasing a childhood dream most certainly achieves the warm and fuzzies. Jean-Baptiste and Lecaplain go further to expose the classic loveable dynamic duo in the most unlikely of circumstances.
After leaving prison, 44-year-old Dieumerci decides to pursue his childhood dream of becoming an actor. After enrolling for drama classes, he takes different jobs to finance his plans. But he doesn't get on well with his opposite number Clément, a 22-year-old bungler.
"A semi-autobiographical crowdpleaser from Martiniquais director-star Lucien Jean-Baptiste that charts one man’s climb from struggling ex-con to budding Parisian thespian" - Hollywood Reporter
Directed by: Lucien Jean-Baptiste
Cast: Lucien Jean-Baptiste (Dieumerci), Baptiste Lecaplain (Clement), Delphine Theodore (Brigitte), Olivier Sitruk (Marc), Firmine Richard (Marie-Therese), Michel Jonas (Daniel), Jean-François Balmer (Ventura)
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1h 35m
Comment j'ai rencontré mon père (2017)
November 25 at 8.30PM ET/5:30PM PT, with English subtitles
A delightful slice of family dramedy, highlighting charming and authentic performances from both on screen father and son team, François-Xavier Demaison and Owen Kanga. The kindred bond between the two evoke tingly vibes without crossing the overly sappy threshold. A joyous and sweet option for (you guessed it) the whole family!
Enguerrand, a young adopted boy, is curious about his origins. When he meets Kwabéna, a migrant with a dark skin just like his own, he's certain: this is his biological father! He decides to let him live in his bedroom, to his parents' great surprise.
"After 'Tellement proches', Isabelle Carré and François-Xavier Demaison meet again in this touching, feel-good movie that addresses with tact the question of refugees" - CNews
Directed by: Maxime Motte
Cast: François-Xavier Demaison (Eliot), Isabelle Carré (Ava), Albert Delpy (André), Diouc Koma (Kwabéna), Owen Kanga (Enguerrand), Robert Lemaire (Jacques), Bernard Marbaix (René), Nicole Shirer (Edmonde), Maxime Motte (Mr. Marianant)
Genre: Dramatic Comedy
Runtime: 1hr 25m
Apocalypse, la paix impossible (2018)
November 14 at 8.30PM ET/5:30PM PT, with English subtitles
A featured documentary this month, this last piece is ambitious, unsettling, and eye-opening. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice ending World War I, Apocalypse, la paix impossible will make its American premiere on TV5Monde!
11 November 1918. The world emerges from the worst conflict ever known. While the victors build a new world order, traumatized peoples rebuild their lives. In the years to come, the major empires collapse while hatred and fear resurface, leading the world to a new apocalypse.
"Certainly, one of the most intriguing codas to World War II-era Nazi atrocities involved the decades-long manhunt for members of the Third Reich..." - AllMovie
Directed by: Isabelle Clarke, Daniel Costelle
Narrator: Mathieu Kassovitz
Genre: Documentary
Runtime:1hr 30m
APOCALYPSE_LA_PAIX_IMPOSSIBLE_BA_orange from TiVi5Monde on Vimeo.