My 2 favorite films of the new school year
Back to school means new movie releases. And how can I say that some films were expected this fall.
Here I present to you my two favorite films from the last few weeks.
See Paris again by Alice Winocour (released 7/09)
Synopsis: In Paris, Mia is caught up in an attack in a brasserie. Three months later, when she still hasn't managed to get her life back on track and she only remembers the event in bits and pieces, Mia decides to investigate her memory to find the path to possible happiness.
Mia, played with incredible accuracy by Virginie Efira, does not remember exactly what happened
She then begins an inner quest to regain her memory and relearn how to live.
With the help of Thomas (Benoit Magimel), who also survived, despite additional physical injuries, and who will accompany him in his questions.
She will try to fill her memory gaps while trying to take control of her life.
This while having to move forward with the flashes of everyday life that bring her back to the trauma (a birthday cake, the victims appearing like ghosts at any moment, etc.)
This film highlights the point of view of the direct victims of the attacks of course. But also of the collateral victims (family, friends) who seek to know the last moments of their loved ones. To understand things in order to move forward and grieve.
The story gives each character the opportunity to tell their own point of view in touching sequences shot like little portraits.
The use of silences, numerous, has its effect.
This deafening silence which echoes, as for many of those who experienced it, that encountered in the streets all weekend following the attacks. Or the leaden silence in transport on the Monday morning following the tragedy.
We don't see much of the attacks, which are a mix of those perpetrated at the terraces and at the Bataclan, this one taking place inside a brasserie. But still, they hit you, make you jump, in short, come to get you.
The gunshots are deafening. Nothing to do with the factual sound of guns in other films I find. The scene is difficult to watch even if it is brief I must admit.
Paris is shown as a character in its own right in the film.
The City of Light lives on, amidst the horror, as do the victims.
Her beauty is highlighted, among all these interspersed shots of République at Place de l'Etoile.
Finally, the common thread of the story remains around the illegal immigrants employed in the brewery. Heroes for an evening in their help to the wounded, before disappearing to avoid being expelled.
This film therefore represents the aftermath, reconstruction and resilience.
It reflects the inability of those close to them to find the right attitude, feeling excluded from an extraordinary destiny.
An ode to resilience, this film is both powerful and moving.
The staging is all discretion, subtlety and sensitivity.
The director did not seek to make a film that veers into pathos, quite the contrary.
All the more so since she experienced the attacks up close, her brother being a survivor of the Bataclan.
7 years after the events that cost the lives of 130 people, many films on the subject are being released this fall 2022.
To see the film November, released in theaters on October 5th. Here we will dive into the heart of the anti-terrorist sub-directorate in charge of finding the most wanted fugitives in France. A new angle of diving into these fatal events is used.
And finally on November 2nd, in turn, will come out You will not have my hatred by Kilian Riedhof.
Or the true story of Antoine Leiris, who lost Hélène, his beloved wife, during the Bataclan attacks in Paris. Which will show us a possible path: to the hatred of the terrorists, Antoine opposes the love he has for his young son and his missing wife.
The duty of remembrance continues. We do not forget. Never.
Don't worry darling by Olivia Wilde (released 09/23)
Synopsis: Alice and Jack Chambers are a happy young couple in the 1950s, living in the town of Victory, California.. City that seems perfect , created and funded by the mysterious corporation Jack works for. Curiosity about the nature of her husband's work on the secret "Victory Project" begins to consume Alice. Cracks begin to form in their utopian life.. As his investigation into the project raises tensions within the community.
It was one of the most anticipated films of the year.
Despite the many reviews well before its release and all the rumors surrounding the actors, I let myself be carried away by this psychedelic universe.
While men go to work, women are good housewives, all in perfect harmony.
Only when Alice begins to have visions and ventures into the Californian desert in search of answers will the apparent harmony turn into a settling of scores.
History has a way of creating and maintaining mystery.
The director, Olivia Wilde, having a role in the film as well, was inspired by works like "The Truman Show", "Inception" or even "Matrix".
Don't worry darling is a veritable exhibition of everything that cinema could fantasize about in the 1950s: a gallery of flowery dresses, suspender pants, bombshell automobiles, the crackle of vinyl records on the record player.
The cinematography is impeccable with beautiful symmetrical shots.
The representation of the 50s is faithful.
Not to mention John Powell's incredibly well-paced soundtrack. It drives the film all by itself.
Finally, how can we not talk about the brilliant casting. We only talk aboutHarry Styles, the pop star of these ladies but personally, the game of Florence Pugh in the lead role of Alice, is exceptional. She carries the film on her shoulders all by herself.
Ultimately, the moral or question of the film that emerges would be: What happens when you step away from submission. When you do what you have long refused to do?
The condition of women is the common thread of the film.
In short, a film that stands out in the current cinematographic landscape but which I highly recommend!
