As we are approaching the end of Films on the Green 2015 – our free French film festival in New York City parks – we’ve compiled a list of 10 additional films that fit this season’s theme, La Méditerranée, but were not screened during the festival. We hope you’ll enjoy the diverse cinematography and rich cultures depicted, as you relive (or embark on!) a journey through the vibrant Mediterranean.
BAY OF ANGELS by Jacques Demy (1963)
Jackie (Jeanne Moreau) is a compulsive gambler addict who falls in love with a young and handsome bank clerk (Claude Mann) on holiday in Nice. At first, the two lovers simply use each other as good luck charms; but what happens to love when luck runs out?
HEARTBREAKER by Pascal Chaumeil (2010)
Alex (Romain Duris) is a professional heartbreaker who can turn any boyfriend into an ex. His newest target is Juliette (Vanessa Paradis), a beautiful heiress set to marry the man of her dreams. Hired by her father, Alex has 10 days to carry out his most daring seduction yet with the first woman to resist his charms.
WHERE DO WE GO NOW? by Nadine Labaki (2012)
Set in a remote village in Lebanon where the church and the mosque stand side by side, the town’s women try everything to keep their blowhard men from starting religious war. Women heartsick over sons, husbands and fathers lost to previous flare-ups unite to distract their men with clever ruses, from faking a miracle to hiring a troupe of Ukrainian dancers.
ROCK THE CASBAH by Laïla Marrakchi (2013)
It’s summer in Tangiers. A family comes together in their home following the death of the father (Omar Sharif) to share their memories and to grieve his loss, according to Muslim tradition. The emotions are further heightened since this man left behind an entirely female immediate family. Between laughter and tears, a collective hysteria leads each of the women to face up to some home truths.
OSS 117: CAIRO NEST OF SPIES by Michel Hazanavicius (2008)
In this spy movie parody, Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath (Jean Dujardin), Agent OSS 117, investigates the disappearance of his fellow agent and longtime friend Jack Jefferson. Disguised as the head of a wholesale chicken company, Hubert is sent to Egypt amid the Suez Crisis. There he meets Mossad agent Larmina El Akmar Betouche (Bérénice Béjo), but then stumbles upon an international conspiracy.
THE OTHER SON by Lorraine Lévy (2012)
Two young men, Joseph (Jules Sitruk) and Yacine (Medhi Dehbi) – one Israeli, one Palestinian – discover they have been switched at birth. The revelation turns the lives of the two families upside-down, forcing them to reassess their respective identities, values and beliefs.
L’AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE by Cédric Klapish (2003)
Xavier (Romain Duris) is a straight-laced French college senior who moves to Barcelona as part of an exchange program, much to the dismay of his beautiful Martine (Audrey Tautou). But sharing cramped quarters with students from all over Europe quickly leads to multi-cultural chaos as Xavier gets a hilarious, eye-opening lesson on how to live, love, laugh…and party!
PURPLE NOON by René Clément (1960)
A rich American industrialist gives Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) the task of bringing his son Philippe (Maurice Ronet) home. Tom, also a former friend of Philippe, finds him in Italy enjoying himself with his mistress Marge Duval (Marie Laforêt) and with no intention of returning to the United States. Tom, lusting after Philippe’s money and mistress, is drawn into a world of forgery and impersonation…
A SUMMER IN LA GOULETTE by Férid Boughedir (1996)
During summer 1967 in Tunisia, three teenage girlfriends living near la Goulette make a pact to lose their virginity. Meriem (Sonia Mankai) attracts the eye of her family’s aging landlord, while a persistent group of teen boys flirt their way into the girls’ arms. When news of their increasingly bold behavior reaches their respective families (one is Jewish, another Muslim, and the third Catholic), fingers are pointed in every direction for their socially and religiously embarrassing activities.
LES APACHES by Thierry de Peretti (2013)
Five teenagers of Porto-Vecchio decide – while tourists invade the Corsican beaches – to break into a luxurious villa and spend the night clandestinely. Before leaving the next morning, they steal some objects along with two rifles from the occupants’ private collection. And when the owner of the villa returns from Paris, the trouble begins.