From Felix Van Groeningen to Diao Yi’nan, UniversCiné invites its subscribers to discover the rising stars of auteur cinema in December, as well as unmissable indie nuggets. Overview of this beautiful program!
The shit of things
On the occasion of the release of Eight Mountains on December 21, why not dive into the filmography of Felix Van Groeningen? Awarded at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 and crowned with five awards at the Flemish Film Prize, The Merditude of Things is ideal for discovering the director’s work.
Gunther Strobbe is 13 years old and has a complicated life. The young boy shares his grandmother’s roof with his father and three uncles. Every day, he bathes in a climate of unbridled drinking, shameless flirting and constant hangout… Everything leads us to believe that he will suffer the same fate, unless he “manages” to get out of it… .
Strawberry Mansion
Available exclusively on UniversCiné, Strawberry Mansion is the little indie pearl of this end of the year. The synopsis, as whimsical as it is mysterious, leaves no doubt: Strawberry Mansion promises to be as eccentric as it is exceptional!
In a world where the government records and taxes dreams, a lowly dream tax collector is taken on a cosmic journey through the life and fantasies of a wacky old lady.
After their first collaboration for Sylvio in 2017, Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney are making a strong comeback with this dreamlike and whimsical dystopia, which examines the impact of new technologies on our subconscious. A stroll through dreams with a retro aesthetic, Strawberry Mansion carries the legacy of Gondry and Jeunet and merges the real and the imaginary to explore human interiority.
Selection Diao Yi’nan
Chinese director Diao Yi’nan enters the UniversCiné catalog with two of his most famous films: Black Coal and Wild Goose Lake. On the one hand, a brutal murder and the relentless investigation of a broken man in the heart of China. On the other, a settling of scores between two Mafia families, a hunted criminal and a prostitute ready to do anything to save her freedom.
Two totally different stories, opposing stakes and characters, but at the heart of these films the same gaze: that of Diao Yi’nan. A master of light and writing whose stories explore the confines of China and the human soul, his works will delight film buffs in search of pleasant surprises and philosophical reflections.
These films are all available on UniversCiné.