What to watch in March
Each month, FrenchFlicks selects the best French films available on Canal+ International and Studiocanal through DIRECTV. In store for March is an Omar Sy themed night with a screening of the French comedy, Nos jours heureux, as well as cult classics like Quai des orfèvres and Le petit criminel.
CANAL+ INTERNATIONAL
OMAR SY SPECIAL NIGHT ON MARCH 22ND
- NOS JOURS HEUREUX AT 8 PM
- GENERATION CANAL+ : SAV sketch comedy at 9.30 PM
- CLIQUE DIMANCHE SPECIAL OMAR SY AT 11PM
CANAL+ INTERNATIONAL is proud to present a 4 hour long program dedicated to France's favorite actor: Omar Sy.
NOS JOURS HEUREUX (2006) on 03/22/2019
Unforgettable fights at the canteen, first loves, first cigarettes, first parties, unbearable visits to boring museums, nights in tents and sleeping under the stars… Does this remind you of anything? This summer, Vincent Rousseau will oversee his first summer camp. What with the completely crazy camp leaders (Marilou Berry, Omar Sy), the unruly kids, and surprise visits from “Youth and Sport” inspectors, these three weeks prove to be less cool than planned! Summer camp is not necessarily a summer break for everyone.
Why FrenchFlicks likes it - Five years before The Intouchables, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano already directed Omar Sy in Nos Jours heureux, a box-office hit in France that gained a cult status thanks to its sharp dialogue and colorful characters.
FILMS (Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 PM EST)* :
LE PETIT CRIMINEL (1990) on 03/05/2019
Marc, a troubled teenager, is bored in his native, depressing city of Sete. One day, a simple phone call makes him aware of the existence of Stephanie, a sister he has never met. Armed with a pistol his mother found, he goes out to find Stephanie. He steals money from a perfume shop, and is then stopped by a policeman who wants to search him. In the car, Marc threatens the policeman with his gun, demanding that he helps him find his sister. The often tense relationship between the two travelers becomes a complex one.
Why FrenchFlicks likes it - This "on the road" movie by Jacques Doillon about a lost teen has its fair share of fun and light moments as well as heartbreaking scenes. A classic film on Generation X that shined a light on a then young actor, Gérald Thomassin, who won a César in 1991 for this role.
LA FACE CACHÉE (2007) on 03/15/2018
François and Isa, nearing fifty, live a routine life; the man goes through a crisis of confidence and a crisis of conscience.
Why FrenchFlicks likes it -[nbsp]Bernard Campan depicts with perfection a couple falling into a routine that seperates them day after day. Every silence, look, or whisper becomes a storm thanks to the electric chemistry he forms with Karin Viard. La Face cachée gives little but suggests a lot and avoids clichés commonly found in tear-jerker melodrama.
AU PETIT MARGUERY (1995) on 03/19/2019
The restaurant "Au Petit Marguery" is a haven of friendship, a small paradise in Paris. Tonight is closing night at "Au Petit Marguery," a last supper for its friends and neighbors. Through memories and laughter, accompanied by th delights of French cuisine, the film brings to life the charm of France.
Why FrenchFlicks likes it - A bittersweet comedy focusing on nostalgia and friendship set in a restaurant. There is something incredibly French about a film entirely shot around a dinner table with friends talking about the little things in life, and we're not going to complain about it!
FRED (1996) on 03/26/2019
A new town with its neat grid of identical dwellings. Fred, early thirties, is a skilled crane operator on the dole. The empty days weigh heavy on his soul. Luckily he has Lisa. She has a small boy and a job as a switchboard operator in a medical lab. She's the breadwinner. Her love keeps Fred afloat. Then there's Michel, the friend and neighbour. Michel's a truck driver. One night Fred is woken by the noise of a tractortrailer parking near the house. Next morning, Michel Fred a favour. Fred asks no questions, even though he smells a rat, even though it smells like danger... like those two strangers in a van, lurking around Michel's house...
Why FrenchFlicks Likes It – It starts like a social drama but then turns into a tense thriller carried on by an impeccable cast lead by Vincent Lindon, Clotilde Courau and François Berléand.
GABRIELLE (2013) on 03/29/2019
Gabrielle is a young woman with Williams syndrome who has a contagious joie de vivre and an exceptional musical gift. Since she met her boyfriend Martin, at the recreation center where they are choir members, they have been inseparable. However, because they are "different," their loved ones are fearful of their relationship. As the choir prepares for an important music festival, Gabrielle does everything she can to gain her independence. As determined as she is, Gabrielle must still confront other people's prejudices as well as her own limitations in the hope of experiencing a love far from the "ordinary".
Why FrenchFlicks Likes It – On a very difficult subject, Louise Archambault finds the right tone and films love with a certain delicacy. A beautiful film that will easily cheer you up on a rainy day.
STUDIOCANAL
UN COEUR EN HIVER (1992)
Genre : Drama
Director : Claude Sautet
Stéphane and Maxime have been friends for a long timeI ever since they studied together for the entrance exam to the music academy. Maybe it's the profession (violin making) they both exercise or the fact that daily habit has come between them, but, without knowing it, they have grown apart. Life holds no secrets or surprises for them any more. Then, one day, a gifted, rather prudish young violinist, Camille Kessler, enters their lives and shatters the routine. Maxime and Camille fall in love, but Stéphane doesn't think it possible. With the secluded life he has so patiently built around himself what does he still believe in?
Why FrenchFlicks likes it - Though love has always been Claude Sautet's favorite subject. He proves it once again in this love triangle drama reminiscent of François Truffaut.
LA RELIGIEUSE (1966)
Genre : Drama
Director : Jacques Rivette
In eighteenth-century France a girl (Suzanne Simonin) is forced against her will to take vows as a nun. Three mothers superior (Madame de Moni, Sister Sainte-Christine, and Madame de Chelles) treat her in radically different ways, ranging from maternal concern, to sadistic persecution, to lesbian desire. Suzanne's virtue brings disaster to everyone in this faithful adaptation of a bitter attack on religious abuses by the Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot.
Why FrenchFlicks likes it - Famous for the censorship it faced in France in 1966 after being accused of blasphemy against the Church, La Religieuse is a powerful film about beliefs and devotion.
QUAI DES ORFEVRES (1947)
Genre : Suspense
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Jenny Lamour wants to succeed in music hall. Her husband and accompanist is Maurice Martineau, a nice but jealous man. When he knew Jenny is making eyes at Brignon, an old businessman, in order to get some engagements, he looses his temper and threatens Brignon with death. But Jenny went anyway to a rendez-vous at the old man's, who is murdered the same evening. The criminal investigations are lead by Inspector Antoine...
Why FrenchFlicks Likes It – A masterpiece that has influenced a generation of directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. Over 70 years later, the film proves to be as gritty, unpredictable and tense as it was at the time of its release.
*All films are in French without subtitles.