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Category: Cinéma - Movies
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Published: Friday, 02 February 2024 14:26
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Written by Gilbert Seah
A MON SEUL DESIR (My Sole Desire )(France 2023) **
Directed by Lucie Borleteau
The Paris strip club À mon seul désir (My Sole Desire) is home to a mesmerizing troupe of seductive female performers. Like a moth to a flame, newcomer Manon (Louise Chevillotte) is drawn to their sensual allure and adopts the stage name Aurore (name taken from The Sleeping Beauty). Among her fellow dancers is audience favourite Mia (César Award winner Zita Hanrot), a beautiful, aspiring actress who moonlights at the club unbeknownst to her live-in boyfriend. From identifying which clients she should avoid to booking private dances, Mia serves as a trusted guide on Manon’s erotic journey. But even as Manon begins to experiment with riskier propositions that Mia will not pursue, it is not long before the two begin to develop romantic feelings for one another. Navigating the complexities of this new life, Manon must face questions about her sexuality as the line between professional and personal desire starts to blur.
Read more: Film Review: A Mon Seul Desir
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Category: Cinéma - Movies
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Published: Friday, 12 January 2024 12:01
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Written by Gilbert Seah
ALL TO PLAY FOR (Rien A Pedre) (Nothing to Lose) (France/Belgium 2023) **
Directed by Delphine Deloget
Delphine Deloget’s ALL TO PLAY FOR is a poorer man’s or rather poor woman’s version of British director Ken Loach's social drams most notably CATHY COME HOME after his first igniting the international screen with the tale of a boy and his kestrel in KES. Loach knows how to work drama into his characters, often manipulating the contents of his film against authority and government. ALL TO PLAY FOR looks pale in comparison.
This frequently told tale pits a single mother against France’s social childcare services system. There is nothing one has not seen before, which is a problem. The mother, Sylvie played by Virginie Efira (most recognizable after Paul Verhoeven’s BERNADETTE) has her younger son taken away by France’s Child Services after the son, Sofiane (Alexis Tonetti) sets the stove in the kitchen on fire while burning himself trying to make fries. Elder brother Jean-Jacques also known as JJ (Felix Lefebre) is away on trumpet practice while Sylvie is away at her very difficult job at bartending. With no adult in the home, Child Care is never too quick at snatching the son to put him in a foster home, especially when Sylvie is not answering their calls.
Read more: Film Review: Rien a Perdre (All to Play For)
