Filming anecdotes, notes of intent, information for moviegoers: every week, discover behind the scenes of cinema releases.
A serious profession by Thomas Lilti
With Vincent Lacoste, François Cluzet, Adèle Exarchopoulos…
What is it about ? It’s back to school. A new school year at the college which sees Pierre, Meriem, Fouad, Sophie, Sandrine, Alix and Sofiane, a group of committed and united teachers. They are joined by Benjamin, a young substitute teacher with no experience and quickly confronted with the hardships of the profession.
Did you know ? After Hippocrates, Country Doctor, First Year and the Hippocrates series, centered on the commitment of caregivers, Thomas Lilti tackles the description of another universe, that of teaching. The filmmaker specifies: “With Hippocrates, Country Doctor, First Year, a form of trilogy emerged, almost in spite of me.”
“So even if the series Hippocrates, of which I have just finished filming the first part of the third season, took up quite a bit of my time, I knew that my return to cinema would be around a universe other than medicine. A serious profession, a group film, narratively a little fragmented, resembles my previous feature films because I approach fiction through reality.”
Mystery in Venice by Kenneth Branagh
With Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Camille Cottin…
What is it about ? In the stricken Venice of the post-war period, the day before All Saints’ Day. Hercule Poirot, now retired, reluctantly attends a seance in a disused and supposedly haunted palazzo. It was then that one of the guests was murdered.
Did you know ? After Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, Kenneth Branagh once again adapts Agatha Christie for the cinema and officiates behind and in front of the camera in the role of detective Hercule Poirot. The British director and actor reunites with screenwriter Michael Green for the occasion.
Michel Gondry’s Book of Solutions
With Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Frankie Wallach…
What is it about ? Marc flees with his entire team to a small village in the Cévennes to finish his film with his aunt Denise. On site, he begins writing the Book of Solutions, a guide of practical advice which could well be the solution to all his problems…
Did you know ? The Book of Solutions is the first collaboration between Pierre Niney and Michel Gondry. However, the two men had already rubbed shoulders years before: in fact, the actor had chosen the director in 2012 as godfather for the Revelations evening, organized each year by the César academy for promising young actors and actresses.
Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer
With Léa Drucker, Samuel Kircher, Olivier Rabourdin…
What is it about ? Anne, a renowned lawyer, lives in harmony with her husband Pierre and their 6 and 7 year old daughters. One day, Théo, 17 years old, Pierre’s son from a previous marriage, moves in with them. Shortly after, he announces to his father that he is having an affair with Anne. She denies.
Did you know ? Last Summer is the remake of the Danish film Queen of Hearts. The project was initiated by producer Saïd Ben Saïd who sent a note to Catherine Breillat reminding her that they had met at the Belfort festival, that he had just bought the rights to a remake of a film Danish and that he thought the director would do better than the original!
The Nun: The Curse of Saint Lucy by Michael Chaves
With Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid…
What is it about ? Evil has never been so close: Valak, the demonic nun of Conjuring returns… In the south of France.
Did you know ? The Nun: The Curse of Saint Lucia is the sequel to The Nun, released in 2018 and directed by Corin Hardy – not to be confused with its Spanish namesake from 2006. With a budget of 22 million dollars, the first film brought in 365 million worldwide. This sequel takes place four years after the first story.
Colargol, the Singing Bear by Tadeusz Wilkosz, Jadwiga Kudrzycka, Krystyna Dobrowolska
What is it about ? Program of 3 short films. In the forest of Bois-Joli lives Colargol, a cheerful and bubbly bear cub. Every day he enjoys listening to the melodious singing of birds. Convinced of possessing the same talent, he wishes to amaze his friends. Unfortunately, the little music-loving bear sings out of tune!
The Secrets of the Princess of Cadignan by Arielle Dombasle
With Arielle Dombasle, Julie Depardieu, Cédric Kahn…
What is it about ? She is a princess, a great seductress. “Don Juan woman”, according to Balzac’s expression. Devilishly intelligent. This woman, who has had many lovers, almost all the male characters in the “Human Comedy”, will finally find love. The truth. Great.
Did you know ? Arielle Dombasle immediately thought of the actor Michel Fau to play Balzac. She justifies this choice: “He is one of the greatest living actors, one of the greatest directors of today, someone phenomenal. I love his way of “playing”. His Balzac, we believe in it immediately, absolutely, totally.”
The Big Cart by Philippe Garrel
With Louis Garrel, Damien Mongin, Esther Garrel…
What is it about ? The Great Chariot is a constellation of stars. It is also a puppet theater. It’s the story of a family of puppeteers, a brother, Louis and his two sisters, Martha and Lena, their father who directs the troupe and the grandmother who made the dolls.
Did you know ? With Le Grand chariot, Philippe Garrel wanted to make a film in the company of his three children: Louis Garrel, Esther Garrel and Léna Garrel. The director explains: “They have successively become actors in recent years with other directors (I certainly would not have wanted to annex them by being the first to hire them).”
Wolf are you there ? by Clara Bouffartigue
What is it about ? Young people, children and their parents come to consult, suffering over their shoulders, under their coat or under their skin, it depends. At the medical-psycho-educational center, caregivers are there to support them in therapy.
La hija de todas las rabias by Laura Baumeister de Montis
With Ara Alejandra Medal, Virginia Raquel Sevilla Garcia, Noé Hernandez…
What is it about ? Nicaragua today. Maria, 11, lives with her mother Lilibeth on the edge of a public dump. Their future depends on the sale of a litter of purebred puppies from a local thug. When the case falls through, Lilibeth has to go to town and drops Maria off at a recycling center where she has to stay and work.
Did you know ? The starting point of the film is La Chureca, the largest open-air landfill in Nicaragua. Laura Baumeister de Montis had already been there when she was a teenager: “The contrast between the mountains of waste and one of the most beautiful landscapes of her native country (the coast of Lake Xolotlán and its mountainous reliefs) shocked me deeply, which caused the beginning of a long reflection.