About French Cinema

by Serginio Sylvain

I have always loved French cinema. For this reason, one of my main objectives for the JSF trip was to watch as many French films and experience what it is to go to movie theaters in Paris as much as possible.

One thing I quickly noticed was that the atmosphere around movies is very different in Paris than in Boston or any major city in the U.S. for that matter. Indeed, Paris by itself has about 400 movie theaters, the vast majority of which are small and only play a few movies each night. As a result during the three times I went to the movies in Paris I did not encounter a movie theater that was full. Since the rooms were not full it allowed me to focus a lot on the movie. On the other hand I often wondered if the atmosphere of being among a large crowd carried an additional element that made the experience more enjoyable. Regardless of whether this is true or not, the fact that for two out of the three movies I went to watch there were only about 15 people in attendance made the movies more enjoyable as well.

People outside a French cinema.

The first film I went to watch was “Actrices” by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. In the movie we follow Martine, an actress, through many different emotions as she reaches menopause without having had a child. This movie like the typical French movie is very different from American movies. Indeed the goal of French movies seems to be to lead the audience through different feelings and force them to think rather than learn a lesson or just witness a happy ending. Indeed, this movie ends with Martine swimming in a river. In my opinion this in many ways is a reflection of her inner emotions. But the director wants us, the audience, to draw the inferences.

The second movie I watched was “La Graine et le Mulet.” This was the best movie I had watched in at least a year. It is a movie by Abdelatif Kachiche which reveals to the audience a great depiction of the lives (with all its difficulties) of people with Algerian descent. Here again, the movie did not end in the standard Hollywood manner. That is, it did not end in the way that is common of American movies, most of which aim only to become the next blockbuster. This is probably what makes me love French cinema so much. The films seem to be made as works of art revealing their authors' most inner feelings.

The third film I watched during my stay in Paris was “The Band’s Visit.” It was and Israeli film by Eran Kolirin. Although it was not a French film it was nonetheless a great movie, and very funny. It recounted the story of an Egyptian band that got lost in an Israeli city. This was the only movie I went to see at a movie theater that seemed to be the same size as the average movie theater in a major city in the U.S.

Watching these movies in France was a great experience. It helped me confirm the origins of my love for French cinema. I can only hope that the majority of French films do not begin attempting to just be blockbusters like “Astérix et Obélix aux Jeux Olympiques.”