A Slice of France

This weekend was jam packed with homework, projects, and studying, but one of the few assignments I was actually looking forward to going to the French Film Festival.  I have heard friends and teachers rave about how lovely it is and how Cary Town truly changes into a little slice of France.  I am currently taking French and love different cultures, so I was already looking forward to seeing the foreign movies.  Unfortunately, I only had time on Sunday to go, and since none of my friends that live nearby were going I decided to bike to Cary Town.  One truly does not notice how badly paved the sidewalks are until you are forced to bike for such an extended period of time!  Regardless, I arrived half an hour before the film began.  I am currently taking French, and it was such a treat when I was able to automatically translate certain words or recognize common sayings.  There was a very large group of French students in one section and it was quite interesting overhearing them talk to one another or comment on the movie. 

The first film I watched is called Prénom, (literally translated means “first name” but the translation showed it as “what is in a name”), and I felt that it was a very accurate representation of a very well made French film.  It is a comedy about 5 family members and a close friend having dinner one night and what begins as a joke becomes a small family feud that leads to secrets being revealed and shocking surprises.  The entire movie takes place in the apartment where they have dinner but there is never a dull moment in the movie.  I did not expect to laugh so much or enjoy it as I did. I am usually picky about the movies I watch and rarely go out to see films, but I am say that I was very pleased with buying a ticket for this movie.

The second movie I saw is called Thérèse Desqueyroux.  I recently saw Audrey Tautou in Hors de Prix in my French class last week, so I was looking forward to this movie. Although it was not a bad movie, it was a much slower, patient, artistically sad, and elegantly beautiful film about life in the 1920’s through the perspective of a married woman in a wealthy family whose life is to be devoted to her husband and the family.  Although it was neat having a glimpse into the life of women back in those times, seeing how it was not all pretty dresses and big houses but many hardships, it went on for quite some time.  Regardless, it was still a good film and Audrey Tautou’s performance was noteworthy. 

I was quite happy to have been a part of the French Film Festival this year.  It snowed most of Sunday, making Cary Town a much quieter place than usual with far fewer people there.  I very much enjoyed going, even if I had to bike over two and a half miles back to my apartment in the snowy weather and three inches of slush!