Age Of Uprising – The Legend Of Michael Kohlhaas (2013)
★★★★☆
Unpicking the tragic deadlock of a wronged man out for justice, Arnaud des Pallières’ Michael Kohlhaas is a fine tribute to people power and ruthless idealism.
France
The Patience Stone (2012)
★★★★☆
A war movie like no other, Atiq Rahimi’s The Patience Stone leaves no woe unturned as a woman rails against man and the theatre of war.
Young And Beautiful / Jeune Et Jolie (2013)
★★★★☆
Fathoming the sordid depths of taboo and transgression, François Ozon’s Jeune Et Jolie finds the unfathomable in a teenager trading innocence for money.
Blue Is The Warmest Colour / La Vie d’Adèle (2012)
★★★★☆
Courting controversy all the way from Cannes, Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue Is The Warmest Colour puts the graphic back into graphic novel.
The Nun / La Religieuse (2013)
★★★☆☆
In 18th century France, when a teenage girl is forced by her parents to become a nun, she rebels to try and regain her freedom.
The Artist And The Model / El Artista Y La Modelo (2012)
★★★☆☆
All is fair in love and war, Fernando Trueba’s The Artist And The Model gradually hews out the standoff relationship between the creator and his muse.
Foxfire (2012)
★★★☆☆
It’s girl power Fifties style in Laurent Cantet’s Foxfire as a brazen girl-gang, taking on man and the world, spread dissent like wildfire.
Looking For Hortense / Cherchez Hortense (2012)
★★☆☆☆
With the fate of a young woman hanging on a middle-aged nobody, Bonitzer’s Looking For Hortense is a rather bloodless comedy on husbands and wives, fathers and sons.
Les Invisibles (2012)
★★★★☆
Putting the stories of nine venerable gay men and women under the spotlight, Sébastien Lifshitz’s Les Invisibles pays homage to love, self-fulfilment and revolution.
Renoir (2012)
★★★★☆
With a rich colour palette, Gilles Bourdos’ Renoir sees the worlds of both artist and filmmaker come to life at the hands of a dazzling muse.
Thérèse Desqueyroux (2012)
★★★☆☆
A sumptuous adaptation of François Mauriac’s novel, Claude Miller’s final film Thérèse Desqueyroux makes murder most torrid.
Something In The Air / Après Mai (2012)
★★☆☆☆
A self-portrait of Olivier Assayas’ lost youth, Something In The Air evokes the Paris riots of 1968 with a nostalgic glow.
Rebellion / L’Ordre et la Morale (2011)
★★★★☆
Restoring law and order in the South Pacific, Mathieu Kassovitz’s Rebellion is a war of words, bullets and cynical politicians.
In The House / Dans La Maison (2012)
★★★★☆
Of schoolboy crushes and French assignments, François Ozon’s labyrinthine In The House is an intricate maze of fiction and reality worth getting lost in.