#philippefalardeau

[abitterlifethroughcinema]

THE St. Jordi BCN Film Festival ’21 FILM REVIEWS

VOL. I: What’s Good!

by Lucas Avram Cavazos

YOUR #VOSEng take on upcoming international cinema premiering in Catalonia & Spain soon

To begin with, for a fellow who has for years been used to screening or viewing hundreds of movies annually, thereby spending hella time in cinemas, a global pandemic has been a true shock to the dork’s system. It has been a testament to the mindset of ‘the show must go on’ to see so many of our local and other European film festivals pushing back against the virus and powering through what could be deemed a safety issue by many. But basta! For starters, temp checks and hand sanitiser stations plus mandatory mask wearing have made a true return to movie going a half-wonderful respite. And so many thanks to Conxita Casanovas, Marien Pinies, David Mitjans, Cines Verdi BCN, Institut Francaise, and Casa Seat plus ALL the industry, press and movie lovers for making one of my favourite film festivals back to life for the half-decade anniversary. And I’m not just saying that for shits n’ giggles.

As an educator and broadcaster, history not only steeps itself within the confines of my classes, sessions and weekly radio/livestream shows, but every single one of us are literally living and walking and thriving through history, even as I scribe. So congratulations to anyone reading this, because you are Destiny's Child’ing it all over this place like drum n’ bass! On to the festival and cinema though please…

The St. Jordi BCN Film Festival revolves around the celebrated St. George’s/Day of the Book holiday here in Catalonia and so all the movies are based upon literary and historical works and facts. Red carpet moments and celebrities also make up the soirees and this year proved even better than others, with the likes of Johnny Depp and Isabelle Huppert being hosted by Cines Verdi, Institut Francaise and Casa Fuster. Depp, dressed as his character (I believe!) from his latest premiere Minamata -reviewed below- even mentioned that he would have loved to stay longer if he could keep Casa Fuster all to himself. And the day after her premiere for Mama Weed -also reviewed below- Huppert was seen being gorgeous at another film screening and then meandering about Gracia. But let’s speak about some of the movies that piqued my interest and will hopefully do the same to yours.

Petit Pays by Eric Barbier ####

Winner of Best Film at this year’s festival awards, Petit Pays tells a quasi-true story of family struggle during the Hutu vs Tutsi massacre that befell the gorgeous countries of Burundi and Rwanda in the early-to-mid 90s. But that is just the mere slice of what the plot truly entails. Focusing on little Gaby (Djibril Vancoppenolle) and his wee sister Ana (Dayla De Medina) as they make their way through childhood/pre-teen years, the plot thickens when the genocide starts to spill over and touch their lives, hectically lived with their Belgian father (Jean-Paul Rouve) and Rwandan mother (Isabelle Kabano, winner of the Best Actress award at this year’s festival). Truth be told, they do live in the lap of African middle class pleasantries, but as the film tenses up, reality sets in for all involved, including us viewers. The harsh reality that director Barbier fuses into the novel adaptation by French-Rwandan rapper/author Gael Faye seeks to display to the audience the truth of a genocidal history and how the sins of the parents always come back to burden or visit the children.

Where to watch: debuts in local cinemas 28/05/21

Promising Young Woman by Emerald Fennell ####

Oscar-nominated and local premiere hit Promising Young Woman had a stellar reception at this year’s festival and what a tour de force it turned out to be. The film plot revolves around medical school dropout Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan), who turns 30 and passes her time working at a trendy coffee shop but completely unmotivated whilst also continuing to live with her increasingly-worried parents. Years after her best mate killed herself, Cassie drags the guilt and loss along with her…until a blast from the past shows up, gets his coffee spat in and then falls head over heels into what will turn into a revenge tale beyond one’s craziest notions. A tale of loss that touches on modern themes in a frighteningly understandable way is few and far between these days. Fennell’s work here puts her on the map for sure.

Where to watch: in local cinemas NOW

Minamata by Andrew Levitas ###-1/2

This year marks 50 years since a collective understanding by world powers finally began to comprehend the enormity that factories create against Mother Nature and living creatures. It’s New York and 1971 when we find W. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp), Life magazine photo journalist and one awash in a realm of problems. Then, adding to that drama, we find him suddenly embroiled on a task and mission that is presented by a couple of his fans, without his awareness that he has also stumbled onto a truth beyond wills. Environmental devastation affecting the innocent in Minamata, Japan is where we eventually spend the plurality of the film, and if you can get through the end scene of it without tears or shame of what mankind has wrought, you’re a tougher kid than I.

Where to watch: in local cinemas as of 30 April

Mama Weed by Jean-Paul Salomé ####

I cannot even begin to explain how much I absolutely enjoyed screening this film by the gifted and curious director Salomé, but it is without a doubt the tour de force work of ageless French star Isabelle Huppert that summons one to watch and compels them to laugh and engage. Undoubtedly, adapting any work of art from literature is never an easy undertaking, but the bringing to life of Patience Portefeux, a judicial interpreter for France’s investigation division, turns out to be crown jewel by Huppert. Serving up comical thrills, blithe acting when under insane pressure by duel forces and fierce Arab queen fashions, this film will have you white-knuckled, perplexed and laughing, all in tandem. THIS is an early-in-the-year film that deserves some attention!

Where to watch: in local cinemas NOW

My Salinger Year by Philippe Falardeau ###-1/2

Based on the like-titled autobio novel by Joanna Smith Rakoff, the movie stars Margaret Qualley as Joanna, an aspiring writer and young upstart in an NYC lit agency, whose tasks include many things, including answering the many fan mail letters that come for the agency’s fave writer J.D. Salinger, he of the oft-loved US American coming-of-age novel Catcher in the Rye. Even this guy connected to Holden Caulfield as a youth so when Joanna one day fields a call from Salinger and then gets caught trying to find endearing manners to respond to these grand fans, an incident leads to a coming-of-age awareness experience for Joanna and we the audience are the ones who are all the better for it.

Where to watch: in local cinemas on 4/6/21

[lady----m]

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[film-book]

MY SALINGER YEAR Trailer: Margaret Qualley begins Responding to J. D. Salinger's Fan mail in IFC Films' 2020 Movie https://tinyurl.com/y6j376vs

[awardseasonblog]

#MongrelMedia ha rilasciato il primo trailer canadese dell'atteso dramma indipendente #MySalingerYear presentato con successo all'ultimo Festival di Berlino e diretto da #PhilippeFalardeau (Monsieur Lazhar). Basato sul best seller omonimo di Joanna Rakoff, il film ha come protagonista Joanna (Margaret Qualley), una giovane aspirante scrittrice che trova un lavoro presso l'agenzia letteraria di JD Salinger. Il suo capo Margaret (Sigourney Weaver) le assegna immediatamente il compito di rispondere alla voluminosa posta dei fan di Salinger, ma Joanna fatica a trovare la propria voce e capire che tipo di scrittrice vuole essere fino a quando....#previews TRAILER: https://youtu.be/YqnB3rzzrOw https://www.instagram.com/p/CF1OwKhIbFJ/?igshid=18gphxyhw0cbc

[gilsonufba]

#BoaMadrugada #NãoSouEuEuJuro #CestPasMoiJeLeJure #PhilippeFalardeau #AntoineLÉcuyer #SuzanneClément (em Lauro de Freitas, Brazil)

[ambrosiacombr]

"Punhos de Sangue" trata com o devido humanismo a história do "Rocky" da vida real, por Cesar Monteiro

“Punhos de Sangue” (Chuck, EUA/2017), o narrador-personagem diz logo na introdução “você conhece minha história, mas não sabe que conhece”. A vida do lutador Chuck Wepner dava um filme, e de fato deu, e todo mundo viu. “Rocky: Um Lutador” foi criado a partir da história de Chuck, um...

#Cinema #Críticas #EmCartaz #BillConti #ChuckWepner #ElisabethMoss #LievSchreiber #MuhammedAli #PhilippeFalardeau #RockyUmLutador #RonPerlman #SylvesterStallone #TheBleeder #TouroIndomável

http://ambrosia.com.br/cinema/punhos-de-sangue-trata-com-o-devido-humanismo-historia-do-rocky-da-vida-real/

[seekerofimages]

C’est pas moi, je le jure! (2008) / D Philippe Falardeau / DoP André Turpin

[thenynyworld]

En attendant le film... #FNC2014 #festivaldunouveaucinema #benevoleFNC2014 #thegoodlie #philippefalardeau #cinema #qc #mtl #montreal #cinephile (à Théâtre Maisonneuve)

[coursedestinationmonde]

Je serais déçu d'apprendre qu'on consomme nos images comme n'importe quel bouilli médiatique. La télévision couleur a beau être au sommet de son règne, j'ai souvent l'impression qu'on nous présente la réalité en noir et blanc. Comme si le monde se résumait par le vrai et le faux, le bon et le truand. Avec 8 caméras, les continents au bout de l'objectif, 16 yeux, les tiens et ceux de tous les Fidèles, on peut redonner à la planète et à ses civilisations les couleurs qu'elles méritent. Qu'en dis-tu ?

Philippe Falardeau, 1992-1993 Livre souvenir 1992, p. 209

[theenthusiasticcinephile]

Monsieur Lazhar

1 hour 34 minutes

Rated PG-13 (Mature Thematic Material, A Disturbing Image and Brief Language)

Directed by Philippe Falardeau

Starring Fellag, Sophie Nelisse, Emilien Neron, Danielle Proulx, Brigitte Poupart, Louis Champagne, and Jules Philip

3.5 out of 4 stars

ON DVD NOW.

Dealing with death is hard. It's even harder for a child to deal with death. Monsieur Lazhar, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film this year but lost to A Separation, is an intelligently written drama about the relationship between an elementary school teacher and his 4th grade class. He understands death and after a horrible tragedy at the school, so do the kids. Together they form a connection. I don't entirely know if this stands out more than other teacher/student relationship movies like Dead Poets Society and Stand and Deliver, but it is very moving and powerfully acted, particularly from the young cast. The most important teachers, in my opinion, are the elementary school ones. This is the time when kids, who have only recently been born, are taught about the world. From 1st-5th grade I learned about the misfortunes of the world and the one thing they result in: death. Monsieur Lazhar is that type of movie.

The movie's opening is bone-chilling. The school is in Montreal. On a snowy day a bunch of students have recess outside. Simon (Emilien Neron), the troublemaker of his class, goes inside to get milk cartons for after recess. He walks to his classroom door and sees his teacher hanging by her neck inside. The teachers find out and take the children back outside but one other student, Alice (Sophie Nelisse), wanders to the class and sees her teacher too. WOW. Talk about an intense opening. Bashir Lazhar (Fellag, full name: Mohamed Said Fellag), an Algerian immigrant, reads about the suicide in the newspaper and comes to the school asking for the job. The principal, Madame Vaillancourt (Danielle Proulx), thinks it's a bit too fast for him to take over but after all, the kids still need a teacher. Also, Bashir seems like a really friendly guy. What she doesn't know is that Bashir has had a really rough life (which I won't say). His past, however, will help him connect with his students, particularly Simon and Alice.

Monsieur Lazhar questions the difference between being a teacher and being a person. The principal assumes the children are traumatized and asks a psychologist to come to the class and speak with them. That's not enough for Bazhar. It's HIM that needs to talk to them and explain the reality of death. The staff hear about how Bashir is talking to the kids about their deceased teacher and are appalled by it. They believe it's not his job. He has to make them forget about it, but how can they? How can they forget about a teacher they loved seeing every day? Director Philippe Falardeau, however, isn't trying to make a serious statement on the education system. He's simply presenting us with a lovely story about a teacher and his class trying to come to terms with a horrible event. Fellag, who's actually a comedian in real life, gives a soft, oftentimes tragic performance as Bashir, but it's the performances of Nelisse and Neron that really stood out for me. How can kids this young get handed a script this sad but pull it off? There's a scene with Neron, in particular, that is sure to make people reach for tissues.

Monsieur Lazhar has some painful moments, but they're never over-the-top. There's something gentle about the feel of it all. This works because Bachir is like a gentle angel coming to cheer up a group of children.

[seasondays]

twitter review

M O N S I E U R - L A Z H A R

2011.philippe FALARDEAU

4.5/5.0

outstanding; an study on contemporary social issues made with a lot of heart and featuring truly great performances from an almost entire children cast.

[thenynyworld]

Film d'ouverture du #FNC2014 😍 #festivaldunouveaucinema #benevoleFNC2014 #thegoodlie #philippefalardeau #cinema #qc #montreal #mtl (à Théâtre Maisonneuve)