Eurimages (France): 12

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 ...

An animated fantasy film, Song of the Sea (2014), was directed and co-produced by Tomm Moore. It tells the story of Conor, a lighthouse keeper on an island off the coast of Ireland. He lives with his son Ben, pregnant wife Bronagh, and their Old English Sheepdog Cú. One night, Bronagh mysteriously disappears after giving birth to their daughter Saoirse. Six years later, Conor is heartbroken, Saoirse doesn’t speak, and Ben resents her for his mother’s disappearance. On Saoirse’s birthday, their grandmother visits and criticizes their home as an unsuitable place to raise children. That night, Ben ...

Pasolini (2014) is an internationally co-produced drama, directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Maurizio Braucci, that delves into the final days of Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. At fifty-three years old, Pasolini lives in the chaotic Rome of the 1970s. He has recently wrapped up filming his controversial piece, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, which has sparked outrage among critics and viewers alike. The public’s disapproval towards Pasolini’s homosexuality and his bold approach to showcasing reality only grows stronger. As he prepares to ...

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 ...

The Hunt (2012) is a Danish psychological drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Mads Mikkelsen. Lucas, a member of a close-knit rural Danish community, misses his teenage son Marcus, who mostly lives with his ex-wife. However, he has formed strong relationships with the young children at the local kindergarten, where he works since the school at which he taught closed. Things start to look up for Lucas when Marcus expresses a desire to live with him and he starts dating Nadja, a co-worker. One of the children at the kindergarten is Klara, daughter of ...

This Must Be the Place (2011), an Italian-French-Irish drama directed and written by Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello respectively, tells the story of Cheyenne. The former wealthy rock star has been living a mundane and uninspired life in Dublin for the past two decades. His retirement was prompted by the tragic suicides of two of his teenage fans. Seeking some sort of redemption, he makes the journey to New York to make amends with his dying father, only to arrive too late. His justification for not being in contact for 30 years was due to his father’s rejection when he began experimenting with goth ...

The Secret of Kells (2009) is an animated fantasy film set in 9th-century Ireland during the Viking expansion. It follows the story of Brendan, a curious and brave boy living in an Abbey under the watchful eye of his stern uncle, Abbot Cellach. The Abbot’s main concern is protecting the Abbey from Viking attacks by building a wall around it. Brendan is apprenticed in the monastery’s scriptorium where he first hears about Brother Aidan, the renowned creator of the Book of Iona. As he becomes more fascinated with the illuminator and his unfinished masterpiece, Aidan arrives in Kells with his unique white cat, Pangur Bán, after escaping a raid on his ...

Il divo (2008) is a biographical drama directed by Paolo Sorrentino that delves into the life of former Italian Prime Minister, Giulio Andreotti. The film competed at the Cannes Film Festival and received the prestigious Jury Prize. It follows Andreotti’s political career, which was plagued by accusations of Mafia connections and scandalous events such as his seventh election in 1992, his unsuccessful attempt at becoming President, and his controversial trial in 1995. As the film begins, Giulio Andreotti reflects on his ability to endure a tumultuous political career, unlike his ...

The period thriller, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), follows the life of notorious murderer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Directed by Tom Tykwer and written in collaboration with Andrew Birkin and Bernd Eichinger, the film is based on Patrick Süskind’s novel of the same name. Grenouille’s story is told through flashbacks, beginning with his sentencing for his crimes. Abandoned at birth in a French fish market ...

Hell (2005) is a French film directed by Danis Tanović. Originally drafted by Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, it was intended to be the second installment in a trilogy. The story takes place in Paris and follows three sisters: Celine, Anne, and Sophie. In one early scene, a woman and her young daughter (later revealed to be Celine) visit an office where they encounter two people: her father and a naked young man. Years later, after several chance meetings with Sebastian in their adulthood, a misunderstanding ...

Metroland (1997), directed by Philip Saville, tells the story of Chris and Marion living a peaceful life with their child in Eastwood. They reside in the London suburbs known as Metroland, the area at the end of the Metropolitan Line on the London Underground. However, their routine is disrupted when Chris’s childhood friend Toni calls early one morning. After years of traveling through Africa, Europe, and the United States as a bohemian poet, Toni has returned to England. Chris reflects on their past adventures in Paris during the late 1960s when they both dreamed of escaping suburban life for avant-garde ...

The erotic historical drama film Total Eclipse (1995), directed by Agnieszka Holland, is based on Christopher Hampton’s 1967 play. In a Paris café, Paul Verlaine meets Isabelle, the sister of Arthur Rimbaud. Isabelle and her mother ask Verlaine to give them any remaining copies of Rimbaud’s poems so they can burn them. Verlaine reflects on his relationship with Rimbaud, which began when the young poet sent his work to Verlaine from his home in the provinces in 1871. Impulsively, Verlaine invited him to his wealthy father-in-law’s home in Paris where he ...