Cinematic adaptations of books always carry with them multiple challenges. How faithful, for example, should one be to the written text? What should be omitted or added? And how does the film work purely on its own terms, without knowledge … Read More
Good intentions do not a good movie make, as demonstrated by French director Alice Diop’s latest film, the documentary Nous (We). Diop is strongly committed to showing onscreen the lives of the “little people,” perhaps better described as ordinary humans, … Read More
Émilie Brisavoine’s documentary Pauline s’Arrache (Oh La La Pauline!) initially reminded me of the kind of clip that might attract 30 views on YouTube, with the 15-year-old Pauline talking to the camera about the minutiae of a life that would … Read More
I went to see Claus Drexel’s Au Bord du Monde (On the Edge of the World), a documentary about homeless people in Paris, because I wanted to know more. How do people end up on the street? Why do they … Read More
While delving through the list of new movies to find one to review for this week’s Paris Update, I was faced with some strange options. The obvious choice was the two-and-a-half hour biopic Violette, about the writer Violette Le Duc’s … Read More
