As one of France’s most subtle and versatile directors, Christian Vincent appears equally at home in dealing with vibrant romantic comedy as with the harsh realities of relationships and social issues. He has worked with some of French cinema’s most significant stars among them Fabrice Luchini, Isabelle Huppert, Daniel Auteuil and Isabelle Carré. This year’s French Film Festival UK provides the chance to savour the many flavours of Christian Vincent – from The Discreet to his latest Four Stars.
| Quatre Etoiles (15)
Four Stars Dir: Christian Vincent |
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EDINBURGH
FILMHOUSE 19 April 8.30pm GLASGOW FILM THEATRE 20 April 8.15pm LONDON CINELUMIERE 21 April 8.30pm EDINBURGH VUE OCEAN 27 April 6.30pm Director Christian Vincent will be present at these screenings: Edinburgh Filmhouse 19 April 8.30pm / Glasgow GFT 20 April 8.15pm / London CinéLumière 21 April 8.30pm |
| What should one do with an unexpected
inheritance of 50,000 Euro? This is the question preoccupying Franssou
(played by the sparky Isabelle Carré), who has suddenly been blessed
with this windfall. Should she save the money, invest it, or buy something
expensive with it? But all of those ideas are far too petty minded
for Franssou. Much better to spend it trying out a different kind
of life, a life free from financial constraints in which she can simply
live for the moment. This is the first thing that occurs to the teacher
from the country. She sets off for the Côte d´Azur and checks into the best hotel in town – the Carlton. A hotel with four stars! Things couldn‘t be better, she thinks. Then she meets Stéphane (José Garcia in mercurial mode and on a charm offensive). He is young and has plans. Stéphane‘s primary interest is in money. Especially other people‘s money. This charming scoundrel‘s attention is immediately drawn to Franssou. Yet the young woman, who clearly possesses the innate ease and confidence of the upper classes, is by no means as guileless as Stéphane had hoped. She sees through his game – even before he has a chance to make his opening gambit. No wonder that he and Franssou throw in their lot together. The couple meet a third character (the dry and droll François Cluzet). Once a racing driver, he now has plenty of time on his hands – and a past in which things did not always run as smoothly as he is wont to pretend. Christian Vincent’s comedy is about money, morals and love, as well as all kinds of complications in this particular force field. These are subjects that, ever since the films of Ernst Lubitsch, have always been the stuff of real comedy. |
Cast:
Isabelle Carré, José Garcia, François Cluzet, Jean-Paul Bonnaire, Michel Vuillermoz, Mar Sodupe, Guilaine Londez, Charline Paul, Olivier Dazat, Luis Rego Director  |
| Les enfants (PG)
The Children Dir: Christian Vincent |
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EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 3 May 2.30pm & 5.45pm |
| When a divorced father of two takes
up with a divorced mother of two, mild difficulties arise. This even-keeled
look at contemporary life convincingly shows domestic situations and
laid-back parenting. High school teacher Pierre (Gérard Lanvin) has occasional custody of his two sons, ages nine and 14, by ex-wife Helene (Nathalie Richard). When he hits it off with Jeanne (Karin Viard), who has a 13-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son, Pierre moves into Jeanne’s Paris apartment. When the combined clans vacation together, minor problems surface. The film is divided into chapters – Home, They Meet, Vacation and Home Again – and the actors acquit themselves with distinction. |
Cast:
Gérard Lanvin, Karin Viard, Brieuc Quiniou, Nicolas Jouxtel, Phareelle Onoyan, Martin Combes, Nathalie Richard, Anne Rousselet, Léopold Szabatura, Aurélie Namur, Géraldine Barbe, Lucy Samsoen, Anne Fassio. Director |
| Sauve-moi (15) Save Me Dir: Christian Vincent |
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EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 2 May 6.10pm |
| Two people brought together by fate find it’s not easy to live on love alone in this drama with a sharp socio-political subtext. Agatha (Rona Hartner) is a beautiful young woman from Romania who had a brief but passionate love affair with a French surgeon when he visited her country as part of a charitable medical team. Agatha has decided to come to France to rekindle their romance, but when she arrives in the city of Roubaix, she discovers he didn't take their relationship nearly as seriously as she did. With nowhere to go, Agatha is befriended by Mehdi (Roschdy Zem), a cab driver who helps her find a place to stay. Mehdi is attracted to Agatha, and she returns his interest, but as it turns out Mehdi is already seeing someone – Cécile (Karole Rocher), who is having an affair with Mehdi while involved with his close friend Marc (Pierre Berriau). Hoping to move away from Roubaix with Agatha and start a new life, Mehdi gets a job as a bill collector, while Marc impulsively walks off his job and an angry Cécile gives him his marching orders. Agatha soon discovers, however, that Roubaix offers few opportunities for undocumented aliens, and that even lifelong residents have a hard time getting by. | Cast:
Isabelle Carré, José Garcia, François Cluzet, Jean-Paul Bonnaire, Michel Vuillermoz, Mar Sodupe, Guilaine Londez, Charline Paul, Olivier Dazat, Luis Rego Director |
| La séparation
(18) The Separation Dir: Christian Vincent |
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GLASGOW
FILM THEATRE 15 April 2.00pm LONDON CINELUMIERE 21 April 6.30pm DUNDEE DCA 28 April 6.00pm EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 1 May 6.10pm |
| Isabelle Huppert and Daniel Auteuil give outstanding performances as a couple whose relationship disintegrates over three months. Anne (Huppert) and Pierre (Auteuil) live together in Paris and are parents of a 15-month-old boy, whom Pierre videotapes as part of his ongoing diary. Anne goes off to an unspecified job every day, and illustrator Pierre works on a children's book. They frequently socialise with friends Victor and Claire, who provide comic relief as bumbling, leftover student radicals who are romantically involved but live apart. Pierre senses something is bothering Anne, and one day she offhandedly announces she's fallen in love with another guy. She doesn't see why this should be hurtful to her current mate, or awkward for their home life, and proceeds to date her new (unseen) love interest while Pierre quietly goes to pieces. Huppert and Auteuil elevate the material to an often riveting plain. Auteuil is outstanding, and Huppert, who’s cornered the market in smug and selfish, conveys these qualities with beauty and economy. | Cast:
Isabelle Huppert, Daniel Auteuil, Jérôme Deschamps, Karin Viard and Laurence Lerel Director |
| La discrète
(15) The Discreet Dir: Christian Vincent |
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GLASGOW
FILM THEATRE 15 April 2.00pm LONDON CINELUMIERE 21 April 6.30pm DUNDEE DCA 28 April 6.00pm EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 1 May 6.10pm |
| THE DISCRE ET / LA DISCRÈTE (15) When the arrogant,
womanising narrator, Antoine (Fabrice Luchini), goes to meet his girlfriend,
Solange (Marie Bunel) at the station, he's dismayed to find her with
another man. Antoine tells us that this is a first. He is always the
one to end his relationships with women. Antoine visits his elderly
friend, Jean (Maurice Garrel), a book dealer, and tells him that he
wants revenge, but he doesn't have the imagination to come up with
a plan. Eventually, Jean tells Antoine that he knows a publisher who's
interested in publishing a series of diaries. He suggests that to
get his revenge, not just on Solange but on all women, Antoine should
get another woman to fall completely in love with him and then dump
her, while keeping a detailed journal about the affair. Antoine agrees, placing an ad for a typist to meet someone. Catherine (Judith Henry) responds to the ad. Antoine is initially repulsed by Catherine, but Jean pushes him to pursue her, saying Antoine's lack of interest will make the story even more interesting. Antoine assents, on the condition that Jean tell him exactly how to proceed. Antoine follows Jean's advice. Catherine resists his advances at first, and as Antoine gets to know her, he finds himself becoming more and more attracted to her. The Discreet won César awards for Best First Work, Best Writing, and Most Promising Actress (Henry). It also won the FIPRESCI Award at the 1990 Venice Film Festival. |
Cast:
Fabrice Luchini, Judith Henry, Maurice Garrel, Marie Bunel, François Toumarkine Director |