I attended the French Film Festival Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, giving myself the chance to see multiple French films which I greatly enjoyed. On Friday, a friend from class and I attended the showing of Assistance Mortelle at 7:00. This documentary concerning the rebuilding efforts from various nations in response to the Haiti Earthquake. It was very interesting, however not something I would view again. It explained the pros and cons of many of the relief efforts before questioning if many of them actually helped the country in the long run. It did however, provide a good look at the Hatians struggle in the aftermath of the quake.
On Saturday, I spent my entire day at the festival, from 11am to 8pm, viewing such films as Sport de Filles, Nos Plus Belles Vacances, as well as Mes Heroes. I enjoyed Filles, which concerned an aspiring horse rider whose determination could set off her career. It was slightly inspiring, but also very humorous. The actor who portrayed German horse trainer Franz Mann turned in an especially exceptional performance, using his pessimistic nature to create a very enjoyable and ironic dry sense of humor throughout the film. Nos Plus Belles Vacances was most definitely my favorite film screened at the festival. It involves a group of families vacationing on a secluded island. Over the course of this vacation drama occurs, summer love buds for the old and the young, friends are made, and the families become much closer. The humor in this film is very enjoyable and light hearted, but serious turns are taken, keeping the film realistic on a personal level. The acting was very good in this film as was the script. The characters seem very realistic and relatable, much more so than American cinema. Mes Heroes was also a light-hearted comedy with some serious undertones. The plot concerns a woman, her husband, and their grown child who shelter and care for a young child whose mother is a fugitive. They begin to become close to him and all spend time with him. The film is laced with silly humor, especially from Josiane Balasko who captured the essence of the mother greatly with her performance.
On Sunday I only viewed Le Prenom, which was also one of my favorite films in the festival. I did miss some of this film and plan to view it in its entirely online. I managed to catch the ending however, and it kept me laughing. Overall, the French Film Festval was a great experience for me, particularly because I love film and plan on majoring in French.
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