In September 1938 a British detective comes to a small French coastal town in order to investigate the death of a colleague. Prime suspects are the members of English aristocratic family with plenty of skeletons in the closet. This is a loose adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel Towards Zero.
Whenever people are released from their society's constraints, there is the possibility that they will behave badly, at least according to the rules of the society they have left behind. This seems to have been particularly the case for Europeans living in colonial establishments in Africa and Asia. In this drama, based on a story by Stefan Zweig, Dr. Steiner (Andrzej Seweryn) was caught with his fingers in the till at a German hospital. Rather than prosecute him, they gave him the option of emigrating elsewhere. He chose to serve at a clinic in a remote part of Portuguese Goa. He has been on his best behavior for years, but when the beautiful wife (Fanny Ardant) of a diplomat comes to him asking for an abortion, he is tempted to ask for sexual favors in return, and his life swiftly goes out of control.
Who would have expected Brigitte to marry a prisoner with a long sentence in the first place? In this romantic action movie, that is only the first in a long line of surprising actions by the young woman. Somehow, she manages to get hooked to the young prisoner before realizing that he'll be locked up for another three or four decades. She decides that this is much too long to wait to spend time with her sweetheart and decides to learn how to fly a helicopter. Why? So she can fly in and take him out of his prison yard, which is exactly what she does, thrilling romantics all over France and seriously upsetting the authorities. This award-winning film is based on a true incident from 1986.
Jacques asks a public writer to compose love letters for a beautiful stranger that he pretends he has just met.
Aline Issermann's "Shades of Doubt" ("L'Ombre du Doute"), a French film about a wrenching family crisis, is set forth with remarkable restraint. The subject is incest, but the story's potential for tawdriness is never exploited. Instead, Ms. Issermann presents a discreet, methodical account of how 12-year-old Alexandrine comes to bring and then recant charges against her father, Jean.
June 1940. The Wechrmacht appropriates the houses in which are living Pierre, his wife Magdeleine, their son Charles, their two servants Louise and Lea, and Mademoiselle, the beautiful jewish governess.
Ten year old Noemie, fed up with being shunted from one separated parent's home to another, puts her foot down and demands to stay in one place all the time. The new arrangement, however, turns out to be a nightmare.
Raoul is a 20 years old student in Paris. Girls are not interested in him, though he is good-looking. He wonders why. Raoul does not look for a great passion, he only wants to be kissed. We will follow his love tribulations.
A Mediterranean scrubland. The relentless noise of crickets. In the distance a highway and the procession of lorries travelling through the countryside at top speed. Among the green oaks and thorn bushes the construction of a leisure Centre is nearing completion. On the other side, from the building workers' prefabs can be heard the happy chaos of children shouting, families getting together and Ramadan celebrations. Moving incessantly between the two, are Fabienne, daughter of the manageress of the Centre, and Latifa, daughter of one of the workers. Fabienne and Latifa are friends, they tell each other everything, or almost... When you are 16 there are secrets that you don't share, even with your best friend. Then, there are questions which one would love to be able to answer and mysteries one would love to understand... The Centre's opening day approaches. It is the day of Fabienne's 16th birthday. But why do her mother Anne and her uncle Tom seem to be so fearful of that day?
