Celebrating its quarter century anniversary, Cinemania still keeps
breathing new exhilarating life into its rich line-up of French language films
that astound, delight and move the heart in ways no other film festival can.
Diverse themes wander the emotional map to include love, criminality, family,
war, religion, cultural taboo and more. These feature films provide close-up
experiences in the human condition with plots that put you -- the viewer, in the thick of
things – funny or otherwise.
Montrealers and those coming from far and wide can’t get enough of these
unique films that feature English subtitles with each screening.
Maidy Teitelbaum, Founder and President of Cinemania was bestowed the Officer de l’Ordre des Arts et
des Lettres de la République Française.
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| Maidy Teitelbaum Recipient of prestigious awards |
Passionate about sleuthing for film variety that has superlative
entertainment value, Mme Teitlebaum noted, “We search for films that “engage,
challenge and entertain our audiences with wit, humanity and sensitivity.”
She has succeeded magnificently choosing 66 films – many of which are
North American premières, including a strong focus on Swiss films and director, Ursula Meir. Another area on the festival's hot list is Normandy; it offers inspiring, and the region is shares a long and historic relationship with Quebec.
Many films are featured from the French company, Gaumont – the longest running French film distribution company ever.
The guest of honour is Olivier Gourmet. Four of his films in which he plays the leading role will be screened.
There will also be 21 invited guests whose contribution in cinema is outstanding. These VIPS from France ,
Switzerland , Belgium and Quebec will create a whirlwind of excitement with their artistic brilliance adding further glamour to
Many films are featured from the French company, Gaumont – the longest running French film distribution company ever.
The guest of honour is Olivier Gourmet. Four of his films in which he plays the leading role will be screened.
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| Olivier Gourmet |
For information on the program
of films, schedules, tickets, events and venues, visit:
Reviews follow
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DOUBLES VIES (Directed by Olivier Assayas) *
opening film
Actor, Vincent Macaigne, will be at the festival from October 3rd to November 9th
Actor, Vincent Macaigne, will be at the festival from October 3rd to November 9th
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| Juliette Binoche |
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| Olivier Assayas |
It’s an interesting topic – the changing world of publishing and those
publishers caught in the high-tech tangles of it; some just can’t wrap their head around
digital options, entry codes to crack and all kinds of shifting tastes. One
such publisher is Alain (Guillaume Canet) who won’t listen to his with-it wife
(Juliette Binoche) who plays an actor and who is actually having an affair with Alain’s good friend, Leonard, a writer who, despite their friendship, is unable to convince Alain to publish his new work. (Vincent Macaigne plays Leonard. He who also stars in 'Chien', another film screening at Cinemania. In this film, he transforms into a dog).
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| Vincent Macaigne |
His acting along with the almost improv-like dialogue is great, and collectively you witness the brilliance of all the cast as seen in their banter at dinner parties, discussions and pondering moments become big bores for
us. This is a talking heads’ film that just doesn't have an arc of any kind. Maybe
it’s writer’s block, publisher’s puzzlement or director’s dilemma, but despite the natural acting of the cast, the film
does not exactly fly off the pages or the screen.
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LE GRAND BAIN (Directed by Gilles Lellouche) ****
(SINK OR SWIM)
North American
Première
Gilles Lellouche will be at the festival from November 5-9
Gilles Lellouche will be at the festival from November 5-9
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| Gilles Lellouche
This latest comedy from Gille Lellouche will make a big splash on
November 5th at 7 p.m. at the swimming pool of the MAA Sports Centre.
Filmgoers can have their fun too; they are invited to use the changing rooms
and lockers before taking their floating seats in the pool in front of the
giant screen. Now how cool is that!!
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For those not wishing to bring their bathing suits to enjoy this
hilarious if not touching comedy can sit in the balcony overlooking the pool.
The second screening on November 8th will take place at Cinema Imperial.
The plot is delicious. Eight men who have been hit with hard times form
a men’s synchronized swimming team whose two coaches have a lot cut out for
them too, including their own hard knocks in life. Everyone seems to be treading water.
These men know little about the sport and have had no training.
The acting is super fantastic.
This iconic cast/team deserves gold medals.
As we get to know each man’s plight, we root for them. The film's feel-good ending plunges them into some notoriety, and we want to dive right in with them.
The film won the Cinemania's Prix du public Mel Hoppenheim
The acting is super fantastic.
As we get to know each man’s plight, we root for them. The film's feel-good ending plunges them into some notoriety, and we want to dive right in with them.
The film won the Cinemania's Prix du public Mel Hoppenheim
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UN AMOUR IMPOSSIBLE (Directed by Catherine Corsini) ****
North American Première
In the 1950’s, in Chateauroux, Rachel (Virgine Efiral) a
quiet government clerk meets Philippe, a
slick Norwegian man. Philippe ends up having a torrid sexual relationship with
her. She becomes pregnant, and the cold, selfish man shows his ugly side;
refuses to give her daughter Chantal his
last name. In fact he wants nothing to do with her. Periodically he visits
Rachel, and as time passes he decides to spend time with Rachel alone. Philippe
is married and refuses to have Rachel meet his family. But what he does to
Chantal is tragic. Chantal becomes alienated from her mother and is mean to
her. The ending is reconciliation and a revelation of the truth. Beautifully
acted, this film carries its own lyrical sadness.
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CONTINUER
(Directed by Joachim Lafosse) ****
North American Première
A mesmerising film that merges the stunning mountainous and rocky terrain of Kyrgystan with the edgy brutally harsh character of Samuel – masterfully played
by Kasey Mottet Klein. He is on a rough horseback ride “road trip” with his
mother, Sybille - perfectly acted by Virginie Efira. The hostility towards his
mother is so palpable; both simply do not get along. However, gradually they
become close as both endure some dangerous experiences on their trip – each
helping the other. The two horses in the film are Samuel’s love, but with
utmost directorial and acting brilliance the mother and son begin to love one
another. Sybille had abandoned her son
when he was a baby. This is the source of her son’s anger, and it is only at
the end of the film Sybille reveals why.
Moments of witnessing the son letting go of his anger and the mother
also watching him, are priceless. I won’t forget their acting. It brings to
life this unusual story that’s based on Laurent Mauvignier’s own eponymous
novel.
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LES FILLES DU SOLEIL(Directed by Eva Hussan)****
GIRLS OF THE SUN
Fact: over 7000 women of all ages have been kidnapped by Isis. In the film, we travel their horrific journey with Bahar, (Golshifteh Farahani), commander of Peshmerga women leading us and her soldiers; she prepares her fighters to liberate an ISIS-controlled town in Kudestan. Her profoundly gripping motive is to find her son alive in an indoctrination school. that teaches kids to kill.Veteran French war reporter Mathilde, (Emmanuelle Bercot in a role patterned after eye-patched war correspondent Marie Colvin killed in Syria) is embedded with the troops. Several women are Yazidi whose families were massacred, they themselves kidnapped, raped, sold into slavery and miraculously escaped (as was activist Nadia Murad, 2018 Nobel Peace Prize) to join the Kurdish army. With fierce survival instincts, Bahar relinquishes her Parisian-education for law to become a Kalashnikov-wielding leader of an all-female squad. She herself was once captured too and led the group of women out of the house.
Based on real events, director-screenwriter Eva Husson,bravely brings a graphic, suspenseful story of sisterhood, earning a standing ovation at Cannes 2018. It's unfathomable to think this happened in real raw life. |
| Eva Hussan |
__________________________ LA PRIÈRE (Directed by Cédric Kahn) *****
Canadian Première
Twenty-two-year old Thomas, brilliantly acted
by Anthony Bajon, is addicted to smack. Against his will, he is sent to an
isolated community made up of former drug addicts in the mountainous
Haute-Savois region of France
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CEUX QUI TRAVAILLENT (Directed by Antoine Russbach) ***
Frank
(credibly portrayed by the supremely talented Olivier Gourmet) is the executive of a Geneva-based cargo
shipping company. Frank is as inflexible as a metal rod and and glum as a
rotten egg. There seems to be no joy in his life, other than his darling young
daughter, Mathilde.
Frank believes the only salvation in life is to work hard.
An error in judgement costs him his job and he begins to fall apart. Tension
builds as his behaviour verges on insanity. This first-time feature film for
the Swiss director shows great promise, but there was not enough energy in most
of this story to match the strange tension that creates a near-deadly twist at the end.
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L’ORDRE DES MEDÉCINS
(BREATH OF LIFE
North American Première
You can tell this is the first feature directed by Mr. Roux. It just
scatters its focus into too many areas of hospital strife and characters that
have small bits to offset the real story. Simon (played by Jérémie Rénier) is a
pulmonary specialist whose frenetic professional is pulling him down. Death is
at his doorstep with almost all patients he sees, but this time, it’s his
mother who is dying. His private and professional life are crashing into one
another. Bravo to Mr. Rénier for his superb acting. The music and pace of the film
certainly captures the scary world of the hospital, but the sex and party
scenes do not fit in with the intensity of the plot. Perhaps the director
packed in too much and this weakened the important thrust of the story. A
mother dying in front of her doctor son.
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JOUEURS
(Directed by Marie Monge) ****
TREAT ME
LIKE FIRE
North
American Première
Ella, (Stacy
Martin) works as a waitress at her father’s restaurant. After closing time,
Abel, miraculously played by the naturally talented Tahar Rahim, is a charming
man who enters and persuades Stacy to take him on. One night later they are in
bed and the gambling circuit becomes the magnet for both of them. They win and
they lose. Things get really weird with Abel and he goes missing. A huge
problem is revealed, and Stacy is afraid. Still, no matter what trouble Abel is
in, she always is there to rescue him. She’s totally in love with him, and her
passion knows she must have this man. But will she at the end?
I can’t rave enough
about the acting of Tahar Rahim. He goes from a lively captivating charmer with
an adorable face full of expressiveness – to a depressed lost soul. He's the new James Bond and Benito del Toro rolled into one. The film is long, but he carries it with charisma and great energy.
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LES CONFINS DU MONDE (Directed by Guillaume Nicloux)***
North
American Première
Robert Tassen (Gaspard Ulliel) is in the thick
of the Indochina war. It
is March
1945 and the Japanese withdrawal spurs on the Ho Chi Minh to fight with the French
army, he’s obsessed with capturing Viet Minh, the commander who engineered the Japanese to slaughter his family.
He falls for a young prostitute and finds his own father in the midst of the
fighting. But he does not know the man is his father (Gérard Depardieu) The tension is off the
charts but the story-line is ambiguous. The opening scene that mirrors the
ending scene is an example of this. very realistic though in showing the chaos, torture, opium dens and whoring -- one of the worst wars ever.
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CLAIRE DARLING La Dernière Folie de Claire Darling ****
Directed by
Julie Bertuccelli
International
Première
Catherine
Deneuve is outstanding in her role as Claire which she plays with subtle comedic irony. This wealthy woman is divesting her estate mansion
of all its possessions. Priceless antiques are put on the front lawn for
which people are paying a pittance. We witness her dementia and how the past
haunts her. Interweaving the past and the present creates a strategy to reveal
a secret that Claire has been keeping for decades. A majestic performance with
brilliant applications comprising time warps that slowly allow us to travel
into Claire’s confused mind and tragic outcome.
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Alice is 41 years old, and has been
waiting to adopt for ten years. In France, meticulous, prudent procedures are
followed from the time the birth mother declares she doesn’t want to keep her
baby to the final moment the adoptive mother can bring the baby home, and the
intermittent phase involving fostering the baby until the mother is a by approved
by the agency. Acting was overdone by Elodie Boucher as Alice. But Gilles
Lellouche was outstanding as the foster father. The baby won our hearts, but
not the movie.
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AU BOUT DES DES DOIGTS (Directed by Ludovic Bernard) *****
Sorry Angel
Canadian Premièfe
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An epic
recreation of the French Revolution. This saga covers the period from 1778 to
1793. Shot where actual events took place, the film is gloriously costumed to
create the raw realities of the time. Despite star heroic characters, this
historical film lacks focus and quite frankly, the suspense we should feel does
not happen. Still, history buffs will enjoy the film, and watching Louis Garret in the role of the condescending Robespierre was captivating.
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UN HOMME PRESSÉ (Directed by Hervé Miman ****
A MAN IN A HURRY
A MAN IN A HURRY
North American Première
Fabrice
Luchini plays Alain, the CEO of a famous automobile
company. He’s proud of his new design, but it’s a flop for the
board. What makes this film so utterly delightful is how the story portrays Alain; he suffers a stroke, and upon recovering, he mixes up words. Alain is fired from the company and decides to set out on the Santiago de Compostela trek. He finds his slow-down pace and with it wins his daughter over who he has treated like a person in his company. Only the brilliance of this actor can turn a stroke into something amusing.
company. He’s proud of his new design, but it’s a flop for the
board. What makes this film so utterly delightful is how the story portrays Alain; he suffers a stroke, and upon recovering, he mixes up words. Alain is fired from the company and decides to set out on the Santiago de Compostela trek. He finds his slow-down pace and with it wins his daughter over who he has treated like a person in his company. Only the brilliance of this actor can turn a stroke into something amusing.
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PUPILLE
(Directed by Jeanne Herry) ***
IN
SAFE HANDS
North
American Première
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AU BOUT DES DES DOIGTS (Directed by Ludovic Bernard) *****
IN
YOUR HANDS
North
American Première
Gifted pianist Mathieu Malinski, admirably played by Jules Benchetrit,
Was taught classical piano by an old man named Jacques. They were not formal
lessons. One day, Mathieu is playing in a shopping mall on a Yamaha piano, and the
director of Paris
The music is stunning as is the story. The cast
is divine. A must-see film!
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PLAIRE, AIMER ET COURIR VITE (Directed by Cristophe Honoré) ****Sorry Angel
Canadian Premièfe
Jacques is a Parisian writer who lives with his best friend more or less,
Mathieu. Jacques is gay and pounds the pavement in the right place to find
one-night stands. In a movie theatre, he meets Breton-born, Arthur, may years
his junior. They start a torridly sexual and loving relationship. Jacques has a
young song name Louis, whom everyone calls Lulu. Only Mathieu and Marco, a long
time lover, now turned roommate too – he needs care from Jacques as he has HIV.
Sadly Marco dies and the fate of Jacques will be the same. A long movie that’s
brilliantly crafted and poignantly acted by Pierre Deladonchamps and Vincent
Lacoste. The sexual scenes were done tastefully and with superb editing.
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UN PEUPLE
ET SON ROI (Directed by Pierre Schoeller) *
An epic
recreation of the French Revolution. This saga covers the period from 1778 to
1793. Shot where actual events took place, the film is gloriously costumed to
create the raw realities of the time. Despite star heroic characters, this
historical film lacks focus and quite frankly, the suspense we should feel does
not happen. Still, history buffs will enjoy the film, and watching Louis Garret in the role of the condescending Robespierre was captivating.  |
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SOPHIA (Meryem Benm'Barek-Aloïsi) **
Slow-moving, but poignantly thematic,
this film tells the story of a young woman who finds a way to marry a man with
whom she says she got pregnant. But this woman is a selfish liar, and the truth
about her baby is far beyond the tales she weaves. In Morocco
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