I’ve been lucky to see a few of the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival films. Here are my tips.
This year will see 38 films, making the festival Australia’s largest national film festival and the biggest festival of French cinema in the world. This year the lineup of films is brilliant, I had a lot of difficulty narrowing the list.
So far I’ve seen and enjoyed the following films.
A Nun In The City. Every two years a group of nuns go to the city for a medical checkup. The strict rule is to go straight to the doctor and back to the convent. When the doctor gives middle-aged Sister Lucie (Marilou Berry) unexpected news she steps outside for some air. In a sliding-doors moment, she jumps onto the first bus she sees and an hilarious adventure begins. It’s a delight to see our world through her innocent eyes as she encounters things we take for granted, automatic doors, mobile phones, goggle searches and learns how to lie. This is the perfect film to see at the moment, lots of laughs, a surprise ending. Make sure you watch the credits. 7/10.
The French Job. History states that in 2010 five paintings by Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso worth over 100 million euros went missing from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. To this day the robbery has never been solved. This film presents one possible scenario of what happened. We meet The Appraiser Yonathan (Melville Poupaud) who usually deals in luxury watches. He meets The Dealer Éric (Sofiane Zermani), a charismatic con man. When Eric is presented with the five paintings, he sees an opportunity and enlists the previously squeaky clean Yonathan. The pair get in deeper and deeper with hilarious consequences. It’s a great romp with a cool soundtrack. The film is even more poignant given it’s based on a real story and even more so with the recent Louvre heist. 6.5/10.
A Dash Of Love. After being given some troubling medical results, lawyer Mélanie (Julia Piaton) decides it’s time to travel to Spain to do fulfill an important goal. Her friend Benjamin (Quentin Dolmaire) is stuck in a rut living with his mother. At his 30th birthday family lunch she tells Benjamin her plan and asks him to join in. Reluctant at first, he eventually caves in. The only problem is they’re both in wheelchairs and don’t drive. When her ex-con client Lucas (Grégory Gadebois) declares he has nothing to do while on bail for a week he doesn’t realise what he’s about to be signed up for. Soon the three are on their way in an old van. The adventure opens up new possibilities for all of them. The movie is a funny, tender exploration of the need for independence, human touch and finding strength. 7.5/10
My other tips are:
- Dog 51
- Guru
- Class Reunion
- Redress
- A Private Life
- Case 137
- A Cycle Of Time
Running from March 12 to April 15 2026. For more information go to Luna Cinemas or French Film Festival
