[REEL_REVIEWER]

12th Annual Showcase of New French Films

Screens Feb. 28-Mar. 11, 2007

Film Society of Lincoln Center and

Unifrance USA

present

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema

NEW YORK—Jan. 24, 2007—For the 12th straight year, March at the Film Society of Lincoln Center means a ticket to France, thanks to Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the Film Society and Unifrance USA’s annual showcase of new French filmmaking.

Running Feb. 28-Mar. 11 at the Walter Reade Theater and at the IFC Center, the 2007 Rendez-Vous series will present 16 new French films, all of them making their U.S. debuts. Rendez-Vous is the perfect destination for those moviegoers looking for an introduction to one of the world’s most prominent and diverse filmmaking cultures, as well as those already familiar with French cinema’s remarkable legacy.

Opening this year’s showcase on Feb. 28 in its North American premiere will be Olivier Dahan’s new biopic of French chanteuse Edith Piaf, La Vie en Rose. The film, which will open Berlin’s prestigious film festival Feb. 8., stars Marian Cotillard and Gérard Depardieu in the story of the singer’s meteoric rise from performing on Paris street corners to becoming one of the world’s most renowned entertainers, followed by crippling battles with alcohol and drugs.

Francis Verber’s The Valet, featuring Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas, model Alice Taglioni, and comedian Gad Elmaleh in wry comedy on the uses and misuses of celebrity, will close the series on Mar. 11.

Tickets for Rendez-Vous with French Cinema go on sale Feb. 12 and are available at both the Walter Reade Theater and IFC Center, as well as online atwww.filmlinc.com and www.ifccenter.com. Tickets for Walter Reade Theater screenings are $12 for the general public, $8 for Film Society members, $7 for students, and $6 for seniors at weekday screenings before 6 p.m. Tickets for IFC Center screenings are $12 for the general public and $8 for members and seniors all day. For more information, call the Film Society at (212) 875-5600 or the IFC Center at (212) 924-7771.

The IFC Center is located at 323 Sixth Ave. at West 3rd Street. The Walter Reade Theater is at 165 West 65th Street close to Amsterdam Avenue. Note, due to construction work taking place around Alice Tully Hall, the only access to the Walter Reade Theater is via the West 65th Street escalator and stairs to the upper level.

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema

Dans Paris

Dir. by Christophe Honoré, 2006; 93m

Buy Tickets (Walter Reade theater)
Thu Mar 1: 3:45pm & 9pm
Tues Mar 6: 6:15

Additional screenings:

IFC Center (West Village/4th st.):

Sat Mar 3:
2:00pm: Purchase tickets
10:15pm: Purchase tickets

Rendezvous synopsis: After his controversial adaptation of Georges Bataille’s 'Ma Mere', Christophe Honoré switches gears for this elegant, deeply felt tale of a family dealing with a son’s depression. When Paul’s (Romain Duris) relationship with girlfriend Anna (Joana Preiss) comes apart, he heads for the apartment shared by his brother Jonathan (Louis Garrel) and their divorced father Mirko (the wonderful Guy Marchand). Retreating into his brother’s room, Paul refuses to get out of bed, despite the entreaties of his father, a visit from his mother (Marie-France Pisier), and his brother’s doomed attempt to cheer him up. Calling the film a kind of New Wave homage also points to what makes Dans Paris so bracing. Honoré, with the invaluable aid of his great cast, has powerfully drawn these characters and created such a palpable world for them that the film feels as if it could veer off in any direction; it goes beyond simple realism to capture what might be called the texture of these lives. - US Distributor: IFC First Take

+++++++++++++++++++++ADVANCE REVIEW+++++++++++++++++++++

DANS PARIS

Writer-director Christophe Honoré makes a 180 degree turn from his last film (thankfully), and supplants the familial incest of "Ma Mere" with a fraternal story featuring suicidal tendencies (okay, a 170 degree shift)!

2-3/4 stars [Dans Paris/(2006)France] - (1 hr. 33 min.)

[In French (subtitled) / USA distrib: IFC First Take]

Written & directed by Christophe Honoré
Original Music by Alex Beaupain

Cinematography by Jean-Louis Vialard
Editor: Chantal Hymans

Lead characters/Cast
Paul - Romain Duris
Jonathan (Paul's younger brother) - Louis Garrel



Supporting characters/Cast
Mirko (the Father) - Guy Marchand
Anna (Paul's girlfriend) - Joana Preiss
Alice (Jonathan's ex-girlfriend) - Alice Butaud
The Mother (Mirko's ex-wife) - Marie-France Pisier
Girl on scooter - Héléna Noguerra

Review:

Although rising auteur Christophe Honoré recycles two actors (Preiss & Garrel) from his previous film "Ma Mere," the subject matter in "Inside Paris" is much more accessible to arthouse audiences. I have to admit that I did enter the theater with a bit of trepidation when I noticed the repeat casting and the dysfunctional family subject matter.

Luckily, this particularly masculine family (Dad & 2 brothers) shys away from incest and self-mutilation ... well, of the physical variety anyway. The main storyline here features the recent romantic ups and downs of the older brother 'Paul' (Romain Duris) and his eventual despair over his break-up with soul mate 'Anna' (Joana Preiss). In addition, the memories surrounding the loss of his twin sister are also weighing heavily on his mind.

Unlike the other depression-oriented Rendezvous selection DON’T WORRY, I’M FINE, this plotline points up the absurdity of real life and the even greater absurdity of committing suicide. That doesn't stop Paul's suicidal tendencies from troubling the family, but it does offer a strong counterpoint to the much lighter parallel plotline involving Paul's younger brother.

'Jonathan' (Louis Garrel) is an 'in-the-moment' trouble-free roving lover who perfectly captures the joy of living as he bounces from one girl to the next while pursuing his simple daily objectives. This is easily one of Garrel's lightest roles since he played the 'third wheel' in Bertolucci's "The Dreamers" and he seems to be loving every minute of it.

This film is certainly worth your time just to see France's most exciting young actors including Garrell, Romain Duris, and the lovely Joana Preiss. BUT, one caveat, this is still a very adult film and does feature full-frontal male and female nudity.

The critics may be calling this one a 'romp', but it's a dark romp so judge it accordingly. Not kid's stuff at all, get the babysitter!

Addtional cast:
Girl who thinks it will rain - Judith El Zein
Girl watching store window display - Annabelle Hettmann
Boy with a cigarette - Mathieu Funck-Brentano
Loup - Lou Rambert-Preiss

French website