Ciné+ (France): 12

Fireheart (2022), a computer-animated adventure comedy directed by Theodore Ty and Lauren Zeitoun, takes place in 1930’s New York. The protagonist is Georgia Nolan, a determined 16-year-old with aspirations to become the first female firefighter. Despite being discouraged by her father Shawn, a former firefighter himself, who believes women are not fit for the job. The mayor of New York reaches out to Shawn and convinces him to lead a new team of young firefighters in stopping a serial arsonist using purple gas to hypnotize and kidnap fellow firefighters. In order ...

The comedy film, Paddington 2 (2017), directed and written by Paul King and Simon Farnaby respectively, is a live-action animated sequel to the 2014 movie Paddington. Produced by Heyday Films and StudioCanal UK, it is based on the beloved stories of Paddington Bear by Michael Bond. The lovable bear, now living with the Browns in Windsor Gardens, offers his support to his neighbors in various ways. In order to purchase a special pop-up book of London for his aunt Lucy’s milestone birthday from Samuel Gruber’s antique shop, Paddington takes on odd jobs ...

Dunkirk (2017) is an epic historical war thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, showcasing the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II from multiple perspectives. The small number of primarily-French soldiers guarding the perimeter where the amassed British and French soldiers await evacuation find themselves facing an advancing enemy force, shrinking their territory. Despite being outnumbered, each country takes care of their own as they await rescue on the beach. The wounded are given priority for evacuation, despite taking up more space on the ships. However, a major issue arises with only ...

Miss Sloane (2016), a political thriller directed by John Madden and written by Jonathan Perera, follows the story of Elizabeth Sloane. She is a cutthroat lobbyist known for her intense work ethic, who finds herself testifying before Senator Ronald Sperling’s congressional hearing. The hearing focuses on possible violations of Senate ethics rules during Sloane’s time at Washington D.C.’s Cole Kravitz & Waterman lobbying firm. Three months prior to this, Sloane’s firm is approached by Bill Sanford, a representative from the gun manufacturing ...

Youth (2015) is a comedy-drama film by writer and director Paolo Sorrentino. This marks his second English-language work. The story follows septuagenarian friends Fred Ballinger and Mick Boyle, who are currently vacationing at a luxurious spa in the Swiss Alps called Wiesen. Fred, a retired classical music composer, is approached by a representative for Queen Elizabeth II during their stay. The Queen wishes to grant him a knighthood and invites him to perform his popular composition ‘Simple Song #3’ at Prince Philip’s birthday concert. However, Fred declines the offer, stating that he has no interest ...

Paddington (2014), a live-action animated comedy film, was written and directed by Paul King. Based on Michael Bond’s beloved character Paddington Bear, the story was developed by King and Hamish McColl. In the depths of the Peruvian jungle, a British explorer comes across a group of bears with a love for marmalade. He dubs them Lucy and Pastuzo before bidding them farewell with an invitation to London. Forty years later, after their home is destroyed in an ...

Based on Amélie Nothomb’s 2007 autobiographical novel, Tokyo Fiancée (2014) is a Belgian romance-drama film written and directed by Stefan Liberski. It was selected for the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film received three nominations at the 5th Magritte Awards. After leaving Japan at age five and growing up in Europe, Amélie returns to Japan at age 20 to reconnect with her Japanese roots. She settles into a small apartment in Tokyo and offers French language tutoring as a means of support. One of her students ...

The Last Days (2013) is a Spanish science fiction thriller film directed by David and Àlex Pastor. In the post-apocalyptic setting of downtown Barcelona, an office worker named Marc struggles to survive and find food in a city that has been devastated by disaster. He is tasked with digging a tunnel in the basement of a building, and his desperation to find out the fate of his girlfriend Julia, who was with him during the catastrophic event, leads him to nearly cause a collapse. Later on, when they reach a neighboring building, Marc encounters his ex-boss Enrique, who ...

Paolo Sorrentino’s film, The Great Beauty (2013), is a thought-provoking art drama co-written and directed by the Italian filmmaker. It begins with a quote from Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s novel, Journey to the End of the Night, which highlights the power of imagination in travel. The story follows Jep Gambardella, a 65-year-old journalist and theater critic known for his enigmatic charm and love for the vibrant social scene in Rome. He navigates through a city steeped in rich history but defined by its superficial inhabitants, creating a striking ...

Éric Rochant’s French film, Möbius (2013), follows a Russian FSB operative as he races to take down an international money laundering scheme. The key to his success is American banker Alice, but the catch is that she is also being pursued by others. In this high stakes world of espionage, the operative must navigate through deceit and betrayal in order to uncover the truth and bring down a powerful Russian oligarch.

Passion (2012) is a film, both written and directed by Brian De Palma. In the movie, Christine is an American advertising executive working in Germany, collaborating with her protégé Isabelle on a new smartphone ad campaign. Despite being involved in a secret affair with Christine’s boyfriend Dirk, Isabelle comes up with a highly successful marketing concept. However, when Christine takes credit for it, Isabelle is disappointed but eventually makes peace with her boss after hearing about the tragic loss of her twin sister. Acting upon Dani’s suggestion, Isabelle shares her own version of the ad online, which ...

Directed by Frédéric Jardin, Sleepless Night (2011) is a thrilling French-language action film. Co-written by Jardin and Nicolas Saada, the movie stars Tomer Sisley, Adel Bencherif, Julien Boisselier, Serge Riaboukine, and Pom Klementieff. It premiered at the Toronto International ...