French

This subtle, intimate portrait of the easygoing bond between a young woman and her widower father (Alex Descas) is the latest from Claire Denis (Beau Travail). With Grégoire Colin. Music by Tindersticks.

A writer, an actor and a would-be chanteuse pursue elusive glory in this wise and worldly comedy of artistic aspiration. With Sandrine Kiberlain, Emilie Dequenne, Denis Podalydès

The major German film of the year. This vivid, provocative thriller traces the activities of the violent group of self-styled anti-fascists who called themselves the Red Army Faction and terrorised West Germany.

Humorous and illuminating autobiography from Agnès Varda, the lone female among French New Wave directors. “Inspiring… this film should be given to all young hopeful filmmakers.” — Sight & Sound

Catherine Breillat (An Old Mistress, Anatomy of Hell) slyly subverts the allure of the popular 17th-century fairytale about a gloomy nobleman with a penchant for murdering his disobedient wives.

This gloriously sprawling drama of a fractious three-generational family Christmas abounds with character and wit. With Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Chiara Mastroianni. “Enchanting.” — Entertainment Weekly

Beautiful new print of the film that put the French New Wave’s Agnès Varda on the map. “Joyful, simple, daring and profound… Cléo is, for me, above all other films of the French New Wave.” — Salon.com

Audrey Tautou puts Amélie far behind her with a stunning interpretation of the headstrong, self-sufficient designer who revolutionised the way women dressed and saw themselves.

Enjoy Poverty investigates the trade-offs surrounding what director Renzo Martens, describes as “Africa’s most lucrative export: filmed poverty”. “Fearless, divisive, controversial, and necessary.” — Hot Docs

This French hit is a buoyant, rewardingly perceptive comedy-drama about family dynamics and the urge to escape them. “A cross-generational tale whose twists and turns are both touching and entertaining.” — Screendaily

Superb new print of Chantal Akerman’s legendary avant-garde masterpiece which locates the dread behind the monotonous routine of a housewife and part-time prostitute. “A slow-motion thriller.” — Time Out NY

Philippe Grandrieux’s majestically strange and beautiful Alpine drama contains only the barest of narratives, making its eerily elemental effect through image and soundscape. “Transcendent.” — Time Out

“Constantly outrageous… this tale of factory workers avenging themselves against their bosses is… a wickedly hilarious, marvellously calibrated exercise in deadpan style owing as much to Buñuel as to the Coen brothers.” — Variety

In the Arab-world festival hit of 2008, a drunken boast has embarrassing repercussions. This Algerian wedding comedy delivers hilarious characters and trenchant social satire. “Classically executed farce.” — Variety

Acclaimed documentary masterpiece by filmmaker/Magnum photographer Raymond Depardon. “A deeply humane and warm-spirited portrait of French farmers whose way of life is on the verge of disappearing.” — Eye Weekly

Fabled superagent OSS 117 (handsome, straight-faced comic Jean Dujardin) defends La France from slippery foreigners in this spy movie spoof lovingly set in Bossa Nova-era Brazil. “Very, very funny.” — Twitch

A moving dramatised portrait of the French ‘naïve’ painter Séraphine de Senlis (1864–1942). César Awards 2009: Best Film, Actress, Original Screenplay, Photography, Score, Costumes, Production Design.

Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling and Jérémie Renier as siblings settling their mother’s lavish, art-filled estate. “A warm, wise drama about the tensions and mysteries of family life.” — Time Out

Longingly sensuous, the year’s hippest, freshest, most sweetly inclusive date movie. A lyrical tale of two solitary expats crossing paths in the international art-rock milieu of a sprawling East London squat.

The opulent lifestyle and fabulous haute-couture fashions of the great designer Valentino. “One for the ages. It reveals one of the past century’s most elegantly lived lives.” — NY Times Style

A generous mix of concert footage and personal encounter with Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour, possessor of one of the most gorgeous voices in world music today. “Inspiring.” — Independent Weekly