7:00 p.m., December 11, 2021
The Snow Leopard ****
By Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier. 1h32.
“The Snow Panther”.
(Top and Short)
An odyssey in the highlands to the east of Tibet, where herds of wild yaks, wolves, foxes, antelopes and ibex live. It is in these immense and arid landscapes that Vincent Munier, wildlife photographer, tracked down the snow leopard. The explorer left accompanied by the writer Sylvain Tesson, who drew a book from his experience, winner of the Renaudot Prize in 2019. The result commands admiration, combining sublime images and enlightened comments on the conservation of wildlife and the local flora in a fascinating documentary. A parenthesis of happiness. SB
A hero ****
By Asghar Farhadi, with Amir Jadidi and Mohsen Tanabandeh. 2:07.
Amir Jadidi in “A hero”.
(Amirhossein Shojaei)
Rahim is serving a prison sentence because he is unable to repay a large debt. During a leave, he tries by all means to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint … Grand Prix in Cannes, Asghar Farhadi paints the portrait of a man crushed by the system, based on a scenario with implacable mechanics putting its main character in a bind. He strikes the perfect balance between poignant drama and breathless thriller by featuring an unlucky candid who has fallen into a legal and media spiral as a result of his selfless act. This Kafkaesque story draws its power from its simplicity to denounce injustice, rumor, fake news and the grip of social networks. Our Palme d’Or. SB
Dear Lea **
By Jérôme Bonnell, with Grégory Montel, Grégory Gadebois, Anaïs Demoustier. 1h30.
Grégory Montel in “Chère Léa”
(Diaphana Distribution)
A quadra still in love with his former mistress decides to write her a letter in the bistro in front of her house. He confides in the owner of the establishment. Explorer of the feeling of love, Jérôme Bonnell follows for a day and in a setting limited to a café, a street and an apartment, the intimate journey of an indecisive man who takes pleasure in his suffering. If the film marries with a touch of burlesque humor the tone and the rhythm of a romcom, it gradually gains in depth, telling less about the reconquest of a love than the acceptance of its end. In addition to his writing skills, his success is due to the slaughter of Grégory Montel, like straight out of Ten percent, supported by perfect supporting roles. Bap.T.
The Symphony of Trees **
By Hans Lukas Hansen. 1h30.
“The Symphony of the Trees”.
(Urban Distribution)
A luthier from Cremona aims to design an exceptional violin for a Dutch musician. He went to Bosnia to find an extremely rare species of maple, the only one able to produce the desired sound. It is a real adventure to which this documentary invites, which plays with the codes of fiction, as much on the form, very neat, as on the substance, scripted at the risk of confusing. Everything is true, assures the director. We want to believe it and let ourselves embark alongside the candid craftsman on a journey as musical as it is romantic, between the harmony of concert halls, particularly well rendered, and the mined forests where the wood dealers traffic. Bap.T.
The Beta Test **
From and with Jim Cummings, Virginia Newcomb. 1h31.
Jim Cummings and Virginia Newcomb in “The Beta Test”.
(Vanishing Angle)
In Los Angeles, a celebrity agent about to get married receives a mysterious invitation to go to a hotel room, masked for a torrid night of extramarital love … After winning the Grand Prix at the Deauville Festival for Thunder road (2018), Jim Cummings signs a biting and delirious new satire to torpedo the cynicism of Hollywood and the Puritanism of America, where adultery leads to murder! Screenwriter, director, performer and editor, the free electron with inexhaustible patter lets off steam with infectious enthusiasm. SB
Tilo Koto **
By Sophie Bachelier and Valérie Malek. 1h05.
“Tilo Koto”.
(The Twenty-Fifth Hour)
Yancouba Badji, a Senegalese from Casamance, fled The Gambia, where he had lived for seventeen years, to reach Europe. Without success. The directors met him in a home in Tunisia. The result is a modest documentary, despite some beautiful images, but overwhelming. The migrant returns there on his journey, from Mali to Libya, where he was sold as a slave, via Burkina Faso and Niger. Strong testimonies that can also be observed in the magnificent canvases he paints. When art translates what words can no longer tell. An exhibition will be dedicated to him at the Talmart Gallery from December 23 to January 15. Bap.T.
Mystery *
By Denis Imbert, with Vincent Elbaz, Marie Gillain and Éric Elmosnino. 1h23.
Shanna Keil in “Mystery”
(Radar Films-Solar Entertainment-Gaumont)
Victoria, 8, has been silent since the death of her mother. With her father, she moved to Cantal and took in a puppy which gave her back a taste for life… Denis Imbert tells the story of the friendship between a girl and a wolf, at a time when the reintroduction of the predator provoked the anger of breeders. Even if it is inspired by real events, this family film has an air of déjà vu, Gilles de Maistre (The Wolf and the Lion) and Luc Jacquet (The Fox and the Child) have been there. In spite of a scenario sewn of white thread, this account on the work of the mourning touches by its benevolence. SB
Bad luck banging or loony porn *
By Radu Jude with Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia. 1h46.
“Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn”
(Meteor Movies)
In Bucharest, a teacher risks her career because of a sextape shot by her husband. His trial inspires reflection on the place and meaning of obscenity outside of private spheres. Strewn with references to Romania’s totalitarian past, this film surprises with its form, oscillating between transgressive comedy at the time of the Covid and an inspired philosophical pamphlet, with voice-overs and silences reminiscent of the “cine-tracts” and other thoughts of Jean- Luc Godard. Golden Bear in Berlin, this film (d) surprises as much by its audacity as by its demonstrative side, funny but sometimes sententious. AC
Dragon princess *
By Jean-Jacques Denis and Anthony Roux. 1h14.
(Gebeka Films)
A dragon asks a frog-headed witch to grant her wish: to become a father. So, he broods three eggs. From one of them is born a little human with scales and who spits fire… This initiatory tale, intended primarily for the youngest, speaks of acceptance of difference, magic, friendship and solidarity. Made between France and Quebec, the film is clearly influenced by the animation of the Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki, but we also recognize the charismatic Smaug, the dragon of The Hobbit (2012), by Peter Jackson. Touching. SB
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“La Panthère des neiges”, “Un Héros”, “Chère Léa” … Film reviews in theaters this week