The patrons of this year’s Alliance Française French Film Festival at the Palace Byron Bay are Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton – they talk about two of their favourite movies from the festival. Tomorrow is your last chance to win a double pass to the festival which runs from April 9-14. Leave a message in the comment box, or on our facebook page to be in the running for our last double pass.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Margaret and David have enjoyed one of the longest and most enduring partnerships on Australian television. Their deep love of cinema and lively repartee made At the Movies and The Movie Show essential weekly viewing for nearly three decades. In recognition of their extraordinary experience and knowledge of all things cinematic, the iconic duo were invited to personally choose a number of the festival films, and here, in their own words, are two of their selections.
La Chambre Bleue (The Blue Room) by Mathieu Amalric – an erotic thriller.
DAVID STRATTON
La Chambre Bleue (The Blue Room). Screening Saturday April 11 at 2.45 pm. Director: Mathieu Amalric. Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Léa Drucker, Stéphanie Cléau, Laurent Poitrenaux & Serge Bozon.
Says Stratton: “For his second feature film as director, Mathieu Amalric has turned to a book by crime writer Georges Simenon about a passionate small-town love affair that ends in death and retribution. Amalric himself plays Julien, a married man who embarks on a clandestine affair with Esther (Stéphanie Cléau). Lovers of well-made thriller and tasteful eroticism will be amply rewarded by Amalric’s stylish and intelligent treatment.”
Of course, art lovers will be also be intrigued by the film, which references artist Suzannne Valdon’s enigmatic and slyly erotic painting, La Chambre Bleue (1923).
Loin des Homme (Far from Men) – Margaret’s choice for the AFFF.
MARGARET POMERANZ
Loin des Homme (Far from Men). Screening Monday April 13 at 2.15 pm. Director: David Oelhoffen. Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Reda Kateb and Antoine Laurent.
“Viggo Mortensen must be one of the most adept film actors with language that there is,” says Margaret Pomeranz. “In this film he speaks a slightly accented French, as befitting his heritage as Daru, the son of Spanish settlers in Algeria. The year is 1954, the year the National Liberation Front began its uprising. Daru is a teacher in a remote location and is aware of the tentative safety of his position. Does he stay or go? That decision is made for him when a prisoner Mohamed (a wonderful performance by Reda Kateb), is delivered to Daru with instructions to deliver him to the court in Tilsit, where he will almost certainly be found guilty of murder and executed. Loosely based on a short story by Albert Camus, The Guest, Far From Men unravels in spectacular landscapes as an exploration of moral dilemmas in the guise of a Western. Music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis adds enormously to the atmosphere of this film by David Oelhoffen.”
Une Rencontre (Chance Encounter) directed by Liza Azuelos.
Other festival highlights are Une Rencontre (Chance Encounter), screening on Friday April 10 at 6.45 pm, directed by Lisa Azuelos.
When soon-to-be divorced Elsa (the dazzling Sophie Marceau), shares an instant and intense chemistry with Pierre (François Cluzet, The Intouchables), they seem perfect for each other. However, their mutual attraction must contend with two immovable obstacles: Pierre loves his wife, and Elsa has vowed never to date a married man.
Fate decrees that their paths continue to cross, and the pair form an illicit, passionate but platonic friendship. The couple’s sexual potential explodes in a series of trysts that cleverly blur the line between reality and fantasy. Will they cross the line? This is the question that is cleverly teased out through a complex narrative.
Chance Encounter is the first cinematic outing from director/writer/actor Lisa Azuelos since her coming-of-age drama/comedy LOL in both its original release form and its subsequent American remake. Her new high-concept romantic comedy delights with engaging and assured performances from its leads with Marceau particularly funny in her charming role. This is a smart, sophisticated and thought-provoking film that explores love’s unexplored potential and cost.
Family favourite: La Famille Bélier (The Belier Family)
Screening on April 11 at 6.45 pm is La Famille Bélier, (The Bélier Family), director Éric Lartigau’s uproarious box office smash-hit about family ties, the joy of music and breaking free. In the Bélier family, everyone is deaf, except dutiful 16-year-old Paula (beautiful newcomer Louane Emera). She acts as an indispensable interpreter for her parents and younger brother, especially in the running of the family dairy farm.
Though her salt-of-the-earth father (François Damiens) has decided to run for mayor – spurred on by her vivacious but over-involved mother, portrayed by the wonderful Karin Viard – Paula’s attentions are very much elsewhere. She’s witnessed the handsome new boy at school sign up for the choir, and impulsively joined too. It’s not long before her music teacher (Éric Elmosnino) discovers her considerable talent, however his encouragement only exacerbates the matter of Paula’s independence… Building to a heart-soaring finale, The Bélier Family is an utter delight. Emera is a true revelation, lending an extraordinary spirit to this raucous and deeply moving crowd-pleaser.
