Mes coups de cœur
[a French phrase that here means the most delightful movies I’ve seen here* this year]
[sorted chronologically with most recent on top]
Brooklyn (UK/Canada/Ireland, English): Wonderful acting, beautiful film.
La Vache (France, French): Oh my goodness, this was one of the most adorable, feel-good movies I have seen in a long time (possibly ever). The story is simple—we follow Fatah, an Algerian man, as he treks across France with his beloved cow Jacqueline to compete in the Salon d’Agriculture in Paris—but it’s very endearing, especially thanks to the actor who plays Fatah. See this movie (if you can in your country) if you feel like watching something with very little conflict that will make you smile throughout.
Carol (UK/USA, English): So rarely do I leave a movie feeling perfectly satisfied, like I wouldn’t want to change a single thing about it—Carol was one of those experiences. In my very subjective opinion, this was possibly the most cinematically flawless and emotionally resonant thing to come out since Where the Wild Things Are (perhaps not coincidentally, the very talented Carter Burwell composed the score for both). It also probably goes without saying that it’s quite refreshing to see a major motion picture that’s not about straight people. If it’s still playing wherever you are, don’t miss it.
Suffragette (UK, English): Just an all-around good movie. Quality acting, interesting historical subject, compelling story.
Irrational Man (USA, English): The preview for this movie kind of gave you no idea what it was really about—I loved the turn things started taking about halfway through, right through to the final big twist.
Le Tout Nouveau Testament (Belgium/France/Luxembourg, French): God exists. He lives in Brussels with his wife and daughter. And he’s doing a terrible job, making people suffer just for the fun of it. Angry at her father, 10-year-old Ea gets revenge by leaking everyone’s death dates from her dad’s computer and sets out into the world to create a “brand new testament.” This movie definitely left me smiling!
Marguerite (France/Czech Republic/Belgium, French): Paris, 1920s: the baroness Marguerite Dumont’s life revolves around music. She practices opera every day and dreams of performing onstage in front of a real audience. There is just one problem: she is tone deaf, and no one has ever told her. I can’t think of anyone I wouldn’t recommend this movie to—it’s funny at times, dramatic at times, and overall just beautiful to watch. (The soundtrack is also good, despite the Marguerite moments!) A brief Google search tells me that the story of Marguerite was loosely based on the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, and it looks like we have an American-British movie about her life, starring Meryl Streep, to look forward to as well.
Dans l'ère successive 