This April wrap up video is basically me talking about a couple of books and far too many french movies which started when I finally watched Anatomy of a Fall for the first time! Oh and I also saw Challengers.
Mon Roi directed by Maïwenn, tells the story of Marie-Antoinette “Tony” and her passionate yet tumultuous relationship with Georgio.
Emmanuelle Bercot and Vincent Cassel are brilliant in their roles as Tony and Georgio; Bercot proved this by winning best actress at Cannes for her performance. The raw realism in their elation, passion and despair is extraordinary, and it is the driving force behind what makes this film so compelling. Louis Garrel also delivers a fantastic performance as Tony’s brother, who brings much-needed humour and familial support. But the beauty in this film very much lies in the complexity of the relationship between Tony and Georgio,
I love how Maïwenn uses Tony’s rehabilitation from a skiing injury as a framing device for the film, as it is a time for slowing down and reflection. Naturally, she starts to delve into her past during this downtime. In fact, it’s almost as if the treatment of a physical injury allows her the time to heal the mental one too. The injury Tony has is also very symbolic, which the physiotherapist points out a the beginning of the film. Le genou (knee) is the only joint that can bend backwards.
Thematically there is a lot to unpack in this film. You have the changeability of relationships, discussions of mental health and gender roles. At the beginning of their relationship Tony and Georgio seem perfect for each other; they share a sense of humour and have an electric chemistry, but as time passes, Tony and thus the audience finds Georgio’s behaviour increasingly problematic.
He abandons his pregnant wife to live alone, spends more time looking after his ex, and parties without consideration for Tony, who has clearly suffered a deterioration in mental health due to postpartum depression and Georgio’s behaviour. Mental Health is also weaved throughout the narrative of the film via the characters of Tony and Georgio’s ex Agnès who attempted to commit suicide upon hearing that Tony was pregnant with Georgio’s baby.
And finally, gender roles are examined through the idea of how men and women and thus mothers and fathers, are supposed to be in the eyes of society. Georgio mentions that as a husband and a father, he is supposed to always be strong and in control. But, he often finds himself taking drugs and sleeping with random women because he falters, and he tries to hide this to protect Tony’s image of him as a model man. Toxic!
I have created a video with all the best romance movies to watch while in lockdown this Valentine's Day. There’s classic romances, French gems such as the always charming Amelie and one of the most tragic love stories I have ever watched.
Let me know in the comments section what your favourite romance movies are.
In a year of unparalleled weirdness and chaos, at least we had movies. I find that films are the best kind of distraction and while I didn’t get to see many films in the Cinema I did still get to watch a few new releases thanks to services like Mubi, BFI Player and of course Netflix. So here are my top films of 2020.
Yes, I am fully aware that this film came out in 2019 for most people, but here in the UK, we got Parasite in cinemas at the beginning of 2020 before the world went to shit. And it’s literally a masterpiece. Hilariously dark and with a biting social commentary Parasite is Bong at his best. If you haven’t seen this film yet you most definitely should, it broke records and has made people think twice about subtitle prejudice finally! Look out for a full review on here soon.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire may be the most beautiful and heartfelt love story I have seen in ages, I was sobbing throughout the last 20 or so minutes, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I even wrote a gushing review earlier this year because I loved it so much. Read the full review: Portrait of a Lady on Fire Review
Stylish, aesthetic and thoroughly good fun Autumn de Wilde’s Emma. is a delight to behold. I found myself just utterly enamoured by this whole film, and I think a rewatch may be on the horizon as it’s buoyancy and frivolity would be the most welcome distraction from lockdown 3.0.
Hong Sang-soo's latest film is a smart and witty look at female relationships and troublesome men. The thing I absolutely love about Hong’s films is that they always feel like the lives on display exist in reality, that if the camera weren’t rolling, everything would happen that way regardless. Read the full film review: The Woman Who Ran Review.
DNA explores the void left by losing a loved one and how grief can bring out the worst in you or bring you back in touch with your roots. Neige clings to her grandfather through the things he left behind and her connection to Algeria through him. Filled with drama and some necessary injection of humour, this is a compelling film that will leave you questioning the fabric of your own familial bonds.
Honourable mentions: Swallow, Little Joe, The Lighthouse.
I love Steve McQueen’s work, but his films are emotionally brutal. Small Axe is an anthology series that focuses on Black lives in moments in modern British history and looks to be some of his most powerful work yet. I will be watching these important films imminently.
I missed this film at the 2019 London East Asian Film Festival to my annoyance, and then the film became available on MUBI, and I missed it again. I really should have watched it when I had the chance.
I am learning French, love social realism films, and films loosely inspired by literary works…don’t even get me started! As to why I haven’t watched this film yet, I don’t know the answer. I keep going to put it on, and then I decide to watch something else, I think it’s because there is just too much choice. Also, on some platforms like Mubi or All4, you only have a limited time to watch certain movies, whereas Netflix seems to keep titles in its library for much longer. But as I am trying to get fluent in French by the end of 2020, I will most definitely be watching this one ASAP!
I was so excited about this film, the trailers looked great, the cast is phenomenal, and normally, Nolan delivers a smart and intelligent blockbuster. But with Tenet I think Nolan tried to be clever for the sake of being clever. If you strip away all the time stuff then it’s a just another spy movie, complete with a bad caricature villain and the usual underdeveloped female character. But what made this film the most infuriating to watch was the sound engineering! I like to hear what characters say, especially in a film when 90% of the dialogue is exposition! For anyone in a non-English speaking country, they undoubtedly benefited from the inclusion of subtitles so perhaps after a re-watch (with subtitles) I might go a little easier on this film. But then again probably not.
