French film reviews: Frantz, Heal the Living

Frantz
Director: François Ozon; 113 mins (Curzon)
DIRECTOR Ozon possesses an assured hand no matter the genre – be it musical (8 Women), comedy (Potiche) or sombre drama (Under the Sand) – always teasing stellar turns from his female leads. So it is no surprise that here he adapts source material (from French writer Maurice Rostand and the film it inspired, Broken Lullaby) to focus on a woman’s perspective.

A grieving German (Great) war widow Anna (Paula Beer, magnificent) forges a bond with a mysterious young French soldier (Pierre Niney) who claims he was the dead husband’s friend in Paris before the war. He recounts the pair’s trip to the Louvre, shown in dazzling colour flashback to contrast with the black and white that dominates the film. Her family, at first mistrusting of his motives, eventually embrace him into the fold. But what is his motive? Anna heads to Paris to play detective...

Heal the Living
Director: Katell Quillévéré; 104 mins (Curzon)
THE THIRD feature by Katell Quillévéré, which took Maylis de Kerangal’s internationally acclaimed 2014 novel as its source text, gives the subject of transplants some rare cinematic exposure. And to very moving effect – behind each victim and thus potential donor is a family with its own backstory. Even the medics attempting to pair the dead and dying for a heart swap reveal their own secrets and strains.

While the subject is clearly serious, it is treated unsentimentally by the director, who explores tragedy and hope with an admirable blend of raw emotion and compassion. Featuring a stellar gathering of French acting talent (Tahar Rahim, Emmanuelle Seigner), this film is heart-wrenching in every sense. Extra gravitas is provided by the sublime soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat, who won an Academy Award for his work on The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Marie-Francine
Director: Valérie Lemercier; 90 mins
NOT ONLY is she one of France’s most popular comedy actresses but Valérie Lemercier is also a dab hand behind the camera lens. She fulfils both duties with amusing aplomb in this slight charmer of a domestic comedy – her fifth directorial effort.

Lermercier plays Marie-Francine, a fifty-something who finds herself rejected by both her husband (who favours a younger model) and her boss (ditto) and is forced, with much self-loathing, to move back in with her elderly parents.

The trouble is, they still treat her like a child, waking her in the mornings with puppet shows. But there is a solitary ray of light in all this gloom: at the e-cigarette shop where she finds a new job, Marie-Francine meets the sweet Miguel, a chef who – you guessed it! – is also down on his luck and living with his folks...

Also out:
My Life as a Courgette
Stop-motion orphan animation described by its director as ‘Ken Loach for kids’.
In bed with Victoria
Virginie Efira gives a breakout performance in this lively rom-com about a lawyer looking for love.
The Park
Moving and highly original depiction of two teenagers who meet for an awkward first date in the park.

You can read reviews of recent French film releases in the CX2 section of The Connexion every month. We aim to only review French films that have a UK release and distribution, and therefore have subtitles.

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