Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain ~ What can I say about this delightful whimsical film that hasn’t been said before? The French don’t do feel good films very well so Amelie definitely stands out with its romanticized version of Paris, quirky characters and happy ending. Previously, its director Jean-Pierre Jeunet had impressed critics worldwide with another film, the surreal and morbid comedy Delicatessen, which you can also stream on Netflix right now.
Bande de Filles ~ I had a hard time watching this movie which is probably the polar opposite of Amelie for its grim realism. Girlhood is the coming of age story of Marieme, a young black adolescent, who is struggling in school, dealing with an abusive brother and helps take care of her younger sisters while her mother cleans offices for a living. She befriends a group of 3 girls and eventually evolves from a shy adolescent to a confident young woman, though she starts to push the limits of what she can do a little bit too far… It’s a grim film, but it’s fascinating.
Blue is the Warmest Color/La vie d’Adèle ~ There was a lot of drama surrounding this film. In awarding it the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Steven Spielberg and his jury also added the two main actresses to the director in the distinction. That’s not typical, and speaks to the amazing performances of Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos, as well as to the controversial methods of director Abdellatif Kechiche. Blue is another coming of age tale but this time its high school age protagonist falls in love in a slightly older woman, an artist with blue hair. Over the course of 179 minutes (the film is quite long!) she discovers desire, finds herself then loses herself and ultimately grows into adulthood. Warning: the film is long and the sex scenes are drawn out at times, and very graphic. This isn’t an early date movie or something you watch with your parents or children.
Les Bleus ~ Hailed as one of the best sports documentary on Netflix, Les Bleus looks at French politics and society through the prism of the national football team. In particular, the documentary charts 20 turbulent years of the French national side, from the “bleu-blanc-beurre” team that united a country after winning the 1998 world cup to flopping completely in the subsequent World Cup and its more recent resurgence of under Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps. More than a documentary on football, it’s really about French society, hitting on issues of class, race and nationality. So add it to your queue!
{This post is based on an original list first published on 12/27/2011 and was most recently updated on October 30 2017.}
