Suspended Time (Olivier Assayas, 2024) is the lockdown comedy that finds little dramatic potential in its set-up, feeling like a 100-minute episode of a sitcom.
Tag: France
For Night Will Come. The Vampire Genre (Partially) Undone.
The perils of being a vampire in a regular-old world are subtly investigated in For Night Will Come — beating away clichés before eventually succumbing to them.
The Dreamer. Bittersweet Truth Through Sculpture.
Sculpture unlocks the essence of a man in Anaïs Tellenne’s tender, enigmatic debut The Dreamer — live from Venice Film Festival.
Sidonie In Japan. Translation, Adrift
Sidonie In Japan is a classic example of a fine actress phoning it in, wasting Huppert’s talents in a generic, unconvincing cross-cultural examination of grief.
First Case Cross-Examines Coming-of-Age
Work and sex inevitably tangle in First Case, a classically French throwback to the golden era of sexy 90s legal thrillers — live from Locarno Film Festival.
Once Bitten, Twice Enchanted
The Young Adult vampire tale is imbued with possibility and tenderness in breakout French debut Bitten from Romain de Saint-Blanquat – live from Locarno!
Keeping Mum. Keeping Schtum.
Keeping Mum investigates the difficulties of breaking generational trauma with open-heartedness and a willingness to embrace the cringe.
The Rapture Isn’t Arriving Today, Sorry.
An enigmatic first half is undone by a mid backend in mysterious French noir The Rapture, playing in Critics’ Week at Cannes.