La France

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Audience Member Overall I would recommend you pass on this one. La France is a very disjointed story that just drags on for most of the time. When it doesn't drag on it goes completely off rails with either musical numbers that just don't fit with the overall feel of the film, or by challenging your suspension of disbelief. The acting is flat and although the overall story idea is good, it is poorly executed here. With that being said, there are a few bright spots in the film. The "real" mission of the Lieutenant made for an interesting twist, and although the musical numbers were badly out of place, the songs were pretty catchy. But at the end of the day, I think it would be best to avoid this one. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Did Roger Ebert miss the symbolism? Brilliant movie!! Realize the movie takes place post war as Camille is fighting a war against the war her husband was in; then all the symbolism & songs make sense... Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Film Comment calls the work of Serge Bozon and his contemporaries "The Wave With No Name" (March/April 2011). The only film I could find from Bozon and his cohorts to Watch Instantly is this strange and pleasing genre-bender. Part war movie (WWI), part road movie, part musical, part melodrama, it concerns Camille Robin (Sylvie Testud) a not very bright young woman whose husband is away at war. A jealous friend reads to Camille her husband's most recent letter that says he will not be writing again. It's not clear, or perhaps it's intentionally ambiguous, but I got the feeling that Camille may not be able to read and that the friend was lying as to what it says. At any rate, Camille cuts her hair, dresses as a man, and goes off to find him. Almost immediately she joins a group of French soldiers who tell her (him, they believe) that they are looking to rejoin their regiment, but are, in fact, deserting. Along the way, through the course of the film, this little band of soldiers break out in song, with a variety of hand-made instruments, and sing a series of songs that all begin "I, blind girl" and have the sound of sunny '60s California pop. Favorite quote from the film: "He's waiting for us in Atlantis, in Holland, wherever there are orphans full of infamy." Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member What might be the drug of choice that inspired this film? My guess is Bigoud Cidre Artísanal Le Brun Demi-Sec with a hint of Absinthe. It's 1917; girl misses her husband; leaves the town and tries to get to the Front by cutting her hair, joining a group of soldiers who turn out to be Deserters and it's clear why she and they are bottom of the class. Reminded me of Lowest-Common-Denominator; although this was a competition to be the thickest. Somewhat like a cheap version of Dickie Attenborough's "What a Lovely War" (1969), with instruments suddenly appearing and people breaking into grating Artisan songs; and some very non-Hollywood 1 minute shots of a river flowing. Must be allegorical or editing error Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Tense at times, but fun most of the times! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I think Serge Bozon deserves more recognition than he has received. Having said that, being a film geek I am glad the films have been so successful on the festival circuit. I was lucky enough to have been---coincidentally---at two film festivals on opposite sides of the world when his last two films premiered: Mods at the Revelation Film Festival [around 03 or 04] and La France in Houston earlier this year. On both occasions, I was blown away by the films as well as by Serge's knowledge of the genres and styles with which he was playing. Serge's films are intelligent without becoming didactic. Yet they are also stylish without losing substance. This is a very rare thing in today's cinema---even in the so-called arthouse and festival scene. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews

La France

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