Marguerite (2015)

Marguerite seems like an odd choice to make the move from the Alliance Français French Film Festival to a general Australian release. Granted, it did well at the Cesars, but its pedigree is paired with a lacklustre, sluggish heap of a movie, ambling through half-assed farce and undercooked politics while finding little of merit beyond…

Microbe & Gasoline (2015)

French director Michel Gondry is back for another misadventure full of charm, humour and heart. Microbe & Gasoline – screening at the upcoming French Film Festival – is a tale of two teens searching for their place in the world while realising their own independence. Microbe, a.k.a Daniel (Ange Dargent), is the film’s protagonist. He struggles with…

Far From Men (2014)

David Oelhoffen’s adaptation of The Guest, a short story by Albert Camus, expands the story’s scope beyond Camus’ single schoolroom setting to the desolate wilderness of the Algerian steppes. French film Far From Men fleshes out its source’s narrative by adopting Western tropes like tense standoffs erupting into gunfire while retaining its stark moral conflict.…

Girlhood (2014)

The original French title of Girlhood is Bande de filles – roughly, “girl gang” – and the difference between the two titles is illustrative of the dualism of director Céline Sciamma’s approach to the film. Centring on sixteen year old girl Marieme (Karidja Touré), the film provides an individual-centric portrait of her experience – friendship,…

Guillaume Gallienne in Me, Myself and Mum (2013)

Me, Myself and Mum (2013)

Me, Myself and Mum is a remarkable, touching, one-of-a-kind picture. Based on director/writer/star Guillaume Gallienne’s stage show, it’s like a long-winded yet enthralling party anecdote, where the storyteller’s first priority is entertaining his audience with ribald jokes and quirky asides. This is a riotously funny film, and therein lies much of its appeal. Gallienne plays…