CINEFRANCO 2024

 

CineFranco, a celebration of French Cinema, one of my favourite Film Festival returns to Toronto November the 1st with a wide range off French films from over the world, including the latest film QUAND VIENT L’AUTOMNE  from Francois Ozone currently playing in Paris.  Under the leadership and auspices of its directrice Marcelle Lean, this year’s films will be screened right in the heart of downtown Toronto any the Carton Cinemas.

Please check the Cinefranco website at cirefarnco.com for the entire program and screening times.

BonCinema!

 

Capsule Review of Select Films:

 

ET LA FETE CONTINUE!  (And the {party Goes On!) (France 2023) ***½

Directed by Robert Guédiguian

 

Robert Guédiguian veteran of cinema, a majority of them set in his birthplace of Marseille,  returns with his wife and muse Ariane Ascaride starring in AND THE PARTY GOES ON, a melancholic, reflection of times past full of nostalgia and good intentions.  The film is full of repeatable quotations and every character in the story has a good heart in Marseille, France. Rosa (Ascaride) divides her energy between her close-knit family, her nursing work and her political commitment.  But as she approaches retirement, her illusions begin to waver.  When meeting Henri (Jean-Pierre Darroussin), she realizes that it's never too late to achieve her own dreams, both political and personal.  Robsinso Stevenin also has a role-playing Rosa’s Armenian son, Sarkis.  The film also contains beautiful shots of Marielle and the surrounding sea.  Fans of Robert Guédiguian should be delighted.  Quite a few of Guédiguian’s film, except this one, have been picked up by TIFF and it is good that CineFranco can get this title.

Trailer: 

CHASSE GARDEE (Guest Place)(France 2023) ***
Directed by Frédéric Forestier and Antonin Fourlon

 

The comedy centres on a war between a Parisian family and the country folk. When a couple with two kids buys a house in the country to escape the pitfalls of city life to buy and settle in the country, they get more than they bargained for when hunting season begins and the hunters use their farmland as their hunting grounds.  The family fear for their safety and wage a war with the whole village, comprising many of hunters.  The film has a few keen observations of the country folk with a few good ideas like the very young mayor (because they cannot find anyone else to hold office) who is so young that he is still taking driving lessons and living with his mother and the switch in prices at the daily farmers market for city and country folk.  But most of the jokes could have been funnier.  But they do get funnier during the film's last quarter, which turns out to be quite endearing.  Still, one can learn a few things from the film, like the French country cuisine of ceps (I had to look this up on Google), which enhances the film’s interest.  The best thing about the movie is the cameo by Thierry Lermitte, who steals the show as the hilarious lawyer father of the wife.

Trailer: 

 

D’AVOUE JAMAIS (France 2023) ****
Directed by Ivan Calberac

 

A surprisingly good film, hilarious, insightful, and extremely well performed by veteran actors Sabine Azema and Andre Dussollier.   When ex-military Francois discovers 40-year-old love letters in the attic from his wife’s admirer, he goes ballistic and decides to go to Nice to beat him up.  But after 40 years, he cannot recall what the admirer, an old acquaintance of theirs looks like.  As Annie remembers, she tags along hoping to quell her husband’s anger.  The best surprise is the admirer, who turns out to be played by Thierry Lhermitte, who is a heartthrob in his younger acting days.  Annie treats the trip as a second honeymoon.  But things take a turn with twists in the story that include Francois finding out that his daughter living in Nice is a lesbian and that he himself has an admirer.  The film contains perhaps the funniest segment in a film this year - the one in Andre’s daughter’s bedroom where he discovers her lover under the sheets.  D’AVOUE JAMAIS is pure delight and is the type of comedy CineFranco is famous for.

Trailer: