French Film Festival Malaysia 2015

French Art and Film Festival Malaysia 2015
www.expatgomalaysia.com/.../french-art-and-film-festival-malaysia-201...



Apr 1, 2015 - Now entering its 14^th edition, the French Art and Film Festival (FAFF) returns to thrill multi-cultured audiences in both the Klang Valley and  Penang.
The French Art and Film Festival 2015 may have just ended in KL, but why don't you check out the movies here:
http://faff.com.my/films/

For me, I and my partner watched 6 movies back to back over 3 nights!!

 On the first night, we took in 3 Autumns and 3 Winters

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/2-autumns-3-winters-2014
(read Roger Ebert's excellent review)

2 AUTOMNES, 3 HIVERS
2 AUTUMNS, 3 WINTERS
Genre Romantic comedy
By Sébastien Betbeder
Release year 2013
With Vincent Macaigne, Maud Wyler, Bastien Bouillon and Audrey Bastien
Running time 1:33
Awards Official selection: ACID – 2013 Festival de Cannes, Festival Paris Cinéma, 2013 BFI London
Rating P13

Cinq saisons d’un amour à Paris aujourd’hui. A 33 ans, Arman a décidé de changer de vie. Pour commencer, il court. Amélie poursuit la sienne – de vie, et court elle aussi. Leur première rencontre est un choc. La seconde sera un coup de couteau en plein cœur.
Un film indépendant tour à tour drôle et poignant qui décrit avec minutie les complications de la constitution d’un couple moderne.

Five seasons of a love story in Paris nowadays. At the age of 33, Arman has decided to change his life. He starts by running. Amélie carries on with her life, and runs as well. Their first encounter is a shock. The second will be a stab in the heart.
An independent film alternately funny and poignant that describes meticulously the complexities of the formation of a modern couple.

 followed by Lulu in the Nude

LULU FEMME NUE
LULU IN THE NUDE
Genre Comedy drama
By Solveig Anspach
Release year 2013
With Karin Viard, Bouli Lanners, Claude Gensac
Running time 1:27
Rating P13

A la suite d’un entretien d’embauche raté, Lulu, mariée et mère de trois enfants, part sur un coup de tête dans une ville balnéaire de Vendée.
Dans sa quête de renouveau et de liberté, elle croise le chemin de gens qui sont, eux aussi, au bord du monde : un homme protecteur tout juste sorti de prison, une vieille femme au caractère bien trempé et une employée harcelée par sa patronne…

Following a failed job interview, Lulu, married and mother of three children, leaves on an impulse to a seaside town of Vendée.
In her quest for change and freedom, her path crosses with people who, like herself, are at the edge of the world: a protective man just released from jail, an old woman with a sturdy character and an employee hassled by her boss…

 How to get the free tickets??? Well I happened to come across this notice in the NST...

 and the STAR and the Metro (which I do not buy)

 you have to collect all the coupons and queue up to exchange for tickets.....well unemployed people like me could have all the time in the world to q for the tixs

 eeerrrr....so many unemployed people too? They do not look old so they are not retirees like me, but why do they have the time to q?

 anyway, the queue was not that long and we all were able to join back the queue to get more tickets...as long as you have the coupons

 the next day, the same people queued too!!!! hehehe....all in all, 3 newpapers (Star, NST, Metro) gave the tickets on 3 different days.

 wheeee!!! my tickets!!! from the NST

 from the STAR 

 posters for the French Film Festival

 Here are 3 schedules for 3 different cinemas, and I chose Mid Valley and One Utama.

At One U we saw Playing Dead 

JE FAIS LE MORT
PLAYING DEAD
Genre Comedy
By Jean-Paul Salomé
Release year 2012
With François Damiens and Géraldine Nakache
Running time 1:45
Rating P13

Comédien au caractère difficile, Jean peine à se faire un nom dans le métier. Dépité, il accepte un job quelque peu étrange : jouer le rôle du mort lors de reconstitutions de scènes de crime. Prenant son rôle très à cœur, son obsession du détail va cependant permettre à Noémie, jeune procureur, d’éclairer une délicate affaire de meurtres en série à Megève…
Comédie burlesque s’inspirant des gags à la Blake Edwards, Je Fais le Mort est portée par le couple drôlissime formé par Géraldine Nakache et François Damiens.

Bad-tempered actor, Jean struggles to build a professional reputation. Disheartened, he accepts a rather peculiar job: to play the role of the dead person in re-enactments of crime scenes. Taking to heart his role, his obsession for details will however allow Noémie, young prosecutor, to solve a tricky serial murder case in Megève…
A burlesque comedy inspired by Blake Edwards’ gags, Playing Dead is supported by a hilarious couple formed by Géraldine Nakache and François Damiens.

followed by The French Minister

QUAI D’ORSAY
THE FRENCH MINISTER
Genre Comedy
By Bertrand Tavernier
Release year 2013
With Thierry Lhermitte, Niels Arestrup, Raphaël Personnaz, Julie Gayet
Running time 1:53
Awards 2014 César Award for Best Supporting Actor to Niels Arestrup
Rating P13

Une première comédie rythmée par Bertrand Tavernier adaptée de la BD éponyme. Arthur Vlaminck est un jeune énarque fraîchement entré au Quai d’Orsay, Il a été embauché pour rédiger les discours du charismatique Ministre des Affaires Étrangeres, Alexandre Taillard de Vorms. Commence alors un véritable apprentissage pour lui dans les couloirs sans fin du ministère, entre le flegme du Directeur du Cabinet, le tempérament fougueux du Ministre et les coups bas orchestrés par ses adversaires pleins d’ambition…

A first comedy based on the eponymous comic brought to life by Bertrand Tavernier. Arthur Vlaminck is a young graduate from the French School of National Administration, recently hired by the Quai d’Orsay in order to write the speeches of Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandre Taillard de Vorms. A true learning process ensues for him in the endless corridors of the ministry, between the Cabinet Director’s stolidity, the Minister’s fiery temper and the low blows orchestrated by his ambitious opponents…

 and  Playground Chronicles ,

CHRONIQUES D’UNE COUR DE RÉCRÉ
PLAYGROUND CHRONICLES
Genre Comedy drama
By Brahim Fritah
Release year 2013
With Yanis Bahloul, Vincent Rottiers, Philippe Rebbot, Dalila Ennadre
Running time 1:25
Rating P13

Pour son premier film, le réalisateur Brahim Fritah restitue avec naturalisme une part de son enfance au début des années 1980. Brahim raconte sa vie à l’école, ses jeux, ses rêves, mais se fait aussi le témoin de son époque et de son environnement socio-culturel au moment où l’usine de son père se voit délocalisée.

In his first movie, Director Brahim Fritah’s captures with naturalism part of his childhood in the early 1980s. Brahim talks about his life at school, his games, his dreams, but also bears witness to his time and socio-cultural environment, at the time when his father’s factory was relocated.

followed by Bright Days Ahead.

LES BEAUX JOURS
BRIGHT DAYS AHEAD
Genre Comedy drama
By Marion Vernoux
Release year 2013
With Fanny Ardant, Laurent Lafitte, Patrick Chesnais, Jean-François Stévenin
Running time 1:34
Rating 18

Des beaux jours ? Caroline, la soixantaine et fraîchement retraitée, n’a que ça devant elle. Mais que faire de tout ce temps libre ? Quand ses enfants lui offrent un abonnement à un club de retraités, elle y rencontre un homme plus jeune qu’elle…
Fanny Ardant et Laurent Lafitte de la Comédie Française, forment un duo peu conventionnel dans cette comédie réaliste sur l’amour et ses tribulations.

Bright days? Caroline, in her sixties and recently retired, has them ahead. But what to do with all this free time? When her children give her a membership to a senior club as a present, she meets there a younger man…
Fanny Ardant and Laurent Lafitte from the Comédie Française form an unconventional duo in this realistic comedy about love and its vicissitudes.

We enjoyed Bright Days Ahead because it was uncensored and fun to see 65 year old Caroline getting into romantic trysts with her young lover, shocking perhaps but it examined the relationship between retired wife  and husband, a situation I can relate to perhaps, though not the sexy parts with a younger man(I hope I do not have to relate to that hehehe...)

We also liked Lulu in the Nude, it showed us how other people live in other countries, here it is France, and Lulu the neglected wife was quite adventurous in "losing" herself for a few days, though we were a bit shocked to see her shacking up with a near homeless man.....and also the attempts at blocking her naked body as she rose from the sea (with a piece of paper blocking the projector) was irritating and crude!!!! Likewise the attempts at blocking some "f" words!!!

3 Autumns and 3 Winters was fun, we appreciate that we have careers, as jobs seem to be hard to come by  in France, and also finding love does not seem to be as easy as it is all cracked up to be in the Country of Love.  

Playing Dead was hilarious, and enjoyable, but not  The French Minister, or Playground Chronicles......

Anyway, we were glad to be able to have the chance to see some French Movies and for free, at that.