TORONTO, Ontario – Cinéfranco, now in its fifth year, is a week-long celebration of French language cinema held in Toronto each spring from Thursday April 4 to Wednesday April 10, 2002.
Organized by the tireless and forever cheerful Marcelle Lean, the program of films normally comprises a large number of comedies (fluff, farcial or black), as if reflecting the nature of its programmer.
Cinéfranco expands its program for the first time this year to a full 7 days with a total of 29 full-length feature films. 2002 promises to be the best year ever for Cinéfranco, according to Ms. Lean. For one, the list of new films by renowned filmmakers as Claude Miller, Jean Becker, Sandrine Veysset, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Cedric Kahn and Etienne Chatiliez is impressive.
Others, like “Trois Huit” (Nightshift), have completed successful runs world-wide. In general, the films take a more serious tone, tackling controversial issues as mental instability (“Betty Fisher and Other Stories”), male bullying involving strong homoerotic overtones (“Trois Huit”), impotency and growing-up (“Once We Grow Up”), with laughter taking a back seat.
The opening night’s films “Betty Fisher and Other Stories” and “Martha…Martha” (both reviewed below) are excellent examples of the quality of films showcased in the program. Quebec’s “Les Boys III” (Lious Saia’s “Men Without Brooms”), closes the festival with a light patriotic touch.
No doubt, most films will sell-out. At the time of writing, Chatiliez’s “Tanguy” has sold out its two performances, including the one on the Monday afternoon. An additional screening on Tuesday at 9 p.m. will be rushed as well. Bon cinema!
Tickets are on sale at the Famous Players Canada Square Cinemas box office beginning Friday March 22, 1pm.
For more information please visit: www.cinefranco.com
“Martha…Martha” (France/Switzerland 2001) ****
Directed by Sandrine Veysset
Though French films are well renowned for their charm (the recent “Amelie” for example) and comedy, there is another class of French film that belongs to the harrowing and disturbing category. Catherine Breillat’s sexual “A Ma Souer” (Fat Girl) was banned in Ontario last year and Jacques Doillon’s “Ponette” required a 4-year old girl to undergo unbearable emotional trials involving death and loneliness.
“Martha…”Martha”, directed by Sandrine Veysset, who also wrote and directed the dramatic “Y-aura-t-il de la Neige a Noel?” (Will It Snow for Christmas?”) is a non-compromising account of Martha, a mother with problems. Director Veysset initially shows Martha (wonderfully underplayed by Valerie Donzelli) as a feisty, loving person, unable to control her moods.
It is only after the film’s first half that the viewer comes to the full realization that she is mentally incapable of normality. Her daughter, Lise (Lucie Regnier) and husband, Reymond (Yann Goven) are abnormally supportive – one of the film’s flaws), but it takes more than tolerance and patience for the family to be pulled together.
Veysset contrasts the film’s many expertly executed and compelling moments with the handsomely shot French countryside. The chilling climax, for example takes place by the silvery waters of a moon-lit lake. There is no sentimentality here, no overuse of music (just natural sounds) and no over-staged theatrics. This film opened the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and deservedly won the FRESCI prize at Cannes last year. Remarkable!
“Betty Fisher et Autres Histoires”(France/Canada 2001) ****
Directed by Claude Miller
Veteran France director Claude Miller rose to fame with the brutally frank drama “La Petite Voleuse” (The Little Thief) based on a Truffaut script. His latest offering, also featuring a strong but disturbed female protagonist in the form of “Betty Fisher” (Sandrine Kiberlain) is again, a relentless look at life and how it unfairly treats a helpless human being.
After Betty loses her son in a freak accident, her mentally unstable mother kidnaps a boy from a loveless, flirty woman (Mathilde Seigner) as a replacement. Initially distraught, Betty eventually adopts the boy as her own, but not after undergoing several trials. The odd thing is that Betty treats the boy as a love object rather a living being.
The tale is told from different points of view, from Jose’s (the kidnapped boy), from Joseph’s (the actual son), from the mother’s etc. It is a clever premise which holds the viewer’s attention from start to finish. Miller’s varied camerawork (for example, focusing on boy then, on reflection of boy through window, creates an eerie unsettling feeling, like a premonition to a catastrophe. Yet, his humour can be ironical.
“Why would I kidnap kids when I hate kids,” argues the gigolo and main suspect in the kidnapping. But traits of Miller’s early harsher films (“Garde A Vue” and “La Petite Volesue”) are still prominent. The pivotal scene at the airport where director Miller brings all the stories to closure is impressive and satisfying.
The film is aided by the excellent performances of its three lead actresses who all shared the FIPRECSI prize of best actress at the Montreal Film Festival.
“Betty Fisher et Autres Histoires” is distributed by Odeon Films and will get a general release in Canada.
