A Promise (2013)
★★★☆☆
A love letter to the unknown woman, veteran director’s Patrice Leconte’s English language debut A Promise reaches a pinnacle of mushy romanticism.
France
Grand Central (2013)
★★★★☆
Love in a radioactive time, Rebecca Zlotowski’s Grand Central is a stylish romance, of modern baroque and packed with symbolism.
Cycling With Molière / Alceste à Bicyclette (2013)
★★★☆☆
Sparks fly as two old friends rehearse Moliere’s Le Misanthrope, as Philippe Le Guay’s Cycling With Molière searches for honesty beneath the truth inside.
Under The Rainbow / Au Bout Du Conte (2013)
★★★☆☆
Amidst a riot of frogs, poison apples, wolves and fairy godmothers, Agnès Jaoui’s Under The Rainbow puts fairytale romance to the test.
Camille Claudel 1915 (2013)
★★★★☆
With a spectacular, single-handed performance from Juliette Binoche, Bruno Dumont’s Camille Claudel 1915 looks at the pained loneliness of a woman put out to pasture.
Chinese Puzzle / Casse-tête Chinois (2013)
★★★☆☆
The road stops here for the travels of young Xavier, as Cédric Klapisch’s Chinese Puzzle takes on fatherhood and the mind-bending complexity of modern living.
TS Spivet (2013)
★★★☆☆
With a magical use of 3D, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s TS Spivet sees a gifted 10-year-old trek across America to receive an award for his invention, given to him in the belief he is an adult.
A Perfect Plan / Un Plan Parfait (2012)
★★★☆☆
With a deliciously against-type performance from Diane Kruger, Pascal Chaumeil’s A Perfect Plan sees a frantic woman cross the globe in search of Mr Wrong.
Venus In Fur/La Vénus à la fourrure (2013)
★★★★☆
A personal film from Roman Polanski, Venus In Fur is an exhilarating satire with a career-defining performance from Emmanuelle Seigner.
Before The Winter Chill / Avant l’Hiver (2013)
★★★☆☆
As a thirty-year marriage crumbles in Luxembourg, Philippe Claudel’s Before The Winter Chill goes beyond family drama to find a black heart of darkness.
The Informant / Gibraltar (2013)
★★☆☆☆
In Gibraltar, a French bar owner agrees with French Customs to inform on international drug smugglers and quickly gets out of his depth.
The Past / Le Passé (2013)
★★★★☆
The emotional secrets of two families are revealed when an Iranian returns to Paris to finalise his divorce from his French wife.
Yves Saint Laurent (2014)
★★★☆☆
Undressing the high life of the fashion designer, his label, loves and lows, Jalil Lespert’s Yves Saint Laurent cuts a fine figure.
Suzanne (2013)
★★★☆☆
An elliptical life torn apart by love and crime, Katell Quillévéré’s Suzanne offers a journey back to happiness and family through absence.