No matter your level of French, taking in an engaging story and captivating visuals can help you absorb a new language by way of passive learning.
For beginners, French films and series are a great way to train your ear to hearing new sounds. Even when you do not necessarily understand everything that is being said, getting used to the general rhythm and turns of phrase will help you become familiar with patterns of speech.
This can also help as an important skill to ensure you do not panic when someone speaks French to you, which is a common difficulty often experienced in early language learning.
Advanced learners may find films and series helpful to pick up niche pieces of vocabulary and idiomatic language, in turn better understanding how certain turns of phrase are used.
For cultural touchpoints that speakers of a second language often miss, films and series can also be a great gateway into understanding certain jokes or references in everyday life.
If watching the film or series with subtitles, it is best to use French ones.
Below are five picks to watch this March.
Chers Parents
Originally based on a successful stage play, Chers Parents centres around a middle-class retired couple who invite their three grown-up children to dinner to make a big announcement.
The children, worried that the announcement could be health-related, are surprised when their parents reveal they have won a large sum of money.
This news leads to growing tensions amongst the siblings, with the film exploring the greed and hypocrisy the money can feed.
Chers Parents is in cinemas now.
Nice Girls
If the beautiful scenery of the Côte d’Azur inspires you, Nice Girls is the perfect choice for a lighter comedy.
The film opens with panoramic views over the sea as the main character Léo drives the famous winding roads that have featured in many classic films.
Léo considers herself as the best police officer on the Côte d’Azur, which comes in handy when she discovers her friend Ludo has died under mysterious circumstances.
However, to solve the crime she is forced to work with fellow policewoman, Mélanie, who has a very different approach to the job.
Partly filmed in Nice, any visitors or residents of the city will be quick to spot famous locations.
Nice Girls is available to watch on Netflix.
Les Douze Coups de midi
Les Douze Coups de midi is a well-known gameshow in France, screened in the daytime seven days a week on TF1.
Four contestants answer general culture or lifestyle questions, accumulating varying sums of money and gifts in the prize fund.
Players are eliminated as the game goes on, leaving one Maître de midi to respond to five questions, determining the amount they could win.
The winner of each show can return to the next show.
It was this rule that ultimately led to history student Émilien becoming the most successful game show contestant in French history, making 647 appearances over almost two years before his winning streak came to an end in July 2025.
By then, he had won an astonishing €2,566,931, of which €1,757,050 was cash and the remaining €809,881 was gifts.
The incredible story boosted the popularity of the show, and made headlines around the world.
Watching the show can help boost your general knowledge as well as your French culture and history, providing extra benefits.
Les Douze Coups de midi is available to watch on TF1. The clip below shows some of Émilien’s best answers.
Tout va bien
Despite the sad premise of Tout va bien, the series proves to be a warming family favourite.
When the 9-year-old daughter of a Parisian family falls seriously ill, it reveals the strengths and weaknesses of each family member, as well as the importance of each individual relationship within the family.
Director Camille de Castelnau insisted on the idea of the series being ‘feelgood’, even with the difficult nature of the content.
Describing a child falling seriously ill as “one of humanity’s worst nightmares”, she praised the use of fiction to shine light on the good that can still exist alongside the bad.
Tout va bien is available to watch on Disney+.
Culte
Culte is a French drama series released in 2024 that dives into the behind-the-scenes world of early-2000s French television.
The show revisits the rise of reality TV in France, focusing on the cultural shockwaves caused by the launch of real-life show Loft Story, arguably the country’s first major reality TV phenomenon.
Set in 2001, the series sees a group of ambitious television experts working to launch a new format inspired by international reality shows such as Big Brother.
Their quest to get the show to the small screen proves difficult as they face media backlash, political criticism, ethical dilemmas, and intense pressure.
The series offers an intriguing insight into how the television industry has changed over the last 20 years.
Culte is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
