66. Potiche (Trophy wife)

I always try not to read others' reviews before writing my own as I find it makes me question my instinct about a film. Unfortunately it couldn't be avoided with Potiche, the DVD of which came plastered with the highest of praise (sample quote: "every moment is a delight") but by which my partner was vocally unimpressed. On top of that, four Frenchwomen I follow on Twitter coincidentally started discussing the film the very next day, calling it 'over hyped' and gentillet ('quite nice') at best. Unable to decide what to say (or indeed what I thought) about it, I ended up watching the whole thing again.

What is certain is that Potiche looks great. Set in 1977, it's a riot of flares, Farrah Fawcett flicks, oversized glasses and horribly patterned jumpers. And personally I couldn't resist the chance to see Catherine Deneuve channeling Sue Sylvester in a retro tracksuit. All the period details, including the music, are spot on.

Deneuve plays Suzanne, the 'trophy wife' of the title. She unexpectedly takes the reins of her philandering husband's umbrella factory when he falls ill, dealing with worker unrest with far more success than her spouse. Ozon's films tend to focus on women, and this is no exception – although Gérard Depardieu gets a look in as a local Communist politician and former lover of Suzanne's. The whole thing is kitsch and lightweight, with many amusing moments, and I enjoyed it while at the same time not really connecting with any of the characters. My partner's complaint was that it was clichéd, but I felt that this was a deliberate decision by Ozon given the backdrop of sexism, protests and so on.

Expecting every moment of this film to be a delight will probably set you up for disappointment. But put it on when you fancy a fun and undemanding watch and you might well enjoy the ride. I know I did.

65. Petit tailleur (The little tailor)

Louis Garrel has a brooding, magnetic quality on screen, and last night was my chance to find out if his talents transfer behind the camera – plus see him in the flesh. To mark the launch of this year's My French Film Festival, he and one of the stars of his film, Léa Seydoux, presented Petit tailleur at the Institut Français in London. At 44 minutes' duration, The little tailor is a moyen métrage – or 'long short film' as Garrel jokingly put it. That's the same length as your average TV drama, but this story is cinematic from the start, with clear homages to François Truffaut (Garrel's hero) and filmed in moody black and white.

Arthur is an apprentice tailor, working with the elderly Albert, who wants to pass the business on to him. Marie-Julie is a beautiful but troubled actress, with whom Arthur falls deeply in love. She demands he leave Albert behind and follow her into the unknown. The film didn't have me asking whether Arthur would follow his heart – for he loves both Albert and Marie-Julie and feels bound to both of them. The question is, which person exerts the stronger pull?

This film is beautiful to look at and there's a nice little twist to the tale. It doesn't go too deep, and certainly wouldn't stretch to a full-length feature (Garrel admitted that this was his original plan, but that the story was too slight). There are some nice Truffaut-esque visual tricks, such as breathless running through the streets to a pounding soundtrack, and the characters talking to each other in voice-over as they drive silently through the streets. The latter was in fact forced upon Garrel due to sound problems, but it works.

I'll try to write a full post about My French Film Festival, because it's a brilliant idea and Petit tailleur is one of ten short films in competition this year. Visit the website to find out more.

64. Les émotifs anonymes (Romantics anonymous)

One thing I like about films is that they don't always focus on the voice that shouts the loudest. Not in independent cinema anyway. As a fairly reserved person myself, I tend to be drawn to quiet, quirky, awkward or misunderstood characters (not that I am all those things – honest!) and Les émotifs anonymes is a typical example of the type of sweet and simple film – not always completely plausible, but heartwarming nevertheless – that I enjoy.

Set within a small, struggling chocolate company, it brings together nervous new employee Angélique (Isabelle Carré) and her uptight but vulnerable boss Jean-René (Benoît Poelvoorde). Both are normal looking, and aged around 40. That might sound unremarkable, but every time I watch a French film, I find myself giving thanks for the relative absence of Botoxed foreheads and collagen-thick lips, and the presence of female characters above the age of 30 who aren't playing someone's mother.  
   
The comedy is light, with more than a touch of the whimsical about it, and my partner and I left the cinema smiling. One to cheer up a grey winter's day.

63. Les Bien-aimés (Beloved)

Catchy musical numbers? Check. Sex, love and family? Check. Louis Garrel? Check.

Les Bien-aimés is classic Christophe Honoré. The young director of Les chansons d'amour and Dans Paris has assembled an all-star cast including Catherine Deneuve, her daughter Chiara Mastroianni, the luminous Ludivine Sagnier, and the aforementioned Garrel (with whom Honoré is currently writing a screenplay). It follows a mother, Madeleine, and daughter, Véra, through several decades, starting in the 1960s when the young Madeline starts selling sex in order to buy shoes. Lovers come and go, passions run high, and the storyline is punctuated by fun and sometimes poignant chansons.

The period details are spot on, and I loved the film up to about half way through. Personally I found the 90s and 2000s segments less successful, particularly the part of the film set in London, as the English dialogue seemed extremely stilted - was it written by a native French speaker? The film began to drag a little (it's 2 hours 19 minutes long) and I kept expecting it to end, only to have it continue.

This musical closed the Cannes film festival last year, but is yet to find a UK or US distributor. Honoré fans will enjoy it, as will lovers of all things Deneuve, but I'm not sure it will find much appreciation among those without a penchant for the quirky and typically French cinéma d'auteur. If that sounds like you though - give it a try if you get the chance. Here's the trailer.

My night with Daniel Auteuil

...well, me and a cinema-full of other fans, but still. Friday 11 November was my first night out since my daughter was born last December and it was worth the wait. As part of the French Film Festival 2011, Daniel Auteuil presented his directorial debut La fille du puisatier (The well-digger's daughter) at the Ciné Lumière in London's South Kensington, and engaged in a lively Q&A following the screening.

Daniel (if I may call him that) proved himself to be irreverent, funny, completely unscripted and unashamedly terrible at speaking English - apart from his first words 'I hope you are all in good health' - designed to make us laugh - he conducted himself in French, which the majority of the audience understood anyway (there was an interpreter for those who didn't).

I loved the film, but will post a separate review, rather than writing about it here. And the good news is that Auteuil's directing career seems to be just getting started. A Marcel Pagnol devotee, he will begin filming a trilogy, Fanny, Maruis et César, next April.

The French Film Festival continues until December at venues around the UK, so do check out the programme, it is excellent this year.

Daniel Auteuil in London!

Are you free on 11 November at 7pm? Do you have £15 to spare? Then don't miss Daneil Auteuil at the Ciné Lumière in London's South Kensington, presenting his first film as a director, La fille du puisatier (The well-digger's daughter). The première of the 1940s-set feature will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Auteuil, who also stars in the film.

As anyone who has read my reviews of Auteuil's films on this blog will know, I am a massive fan and I'm very excited about seeing the man himself in the flesh.

It's part of the 19th French Film Festival in the UK - another highlight is director Christophe Honoré's new film, Les bien-aimés, starring Catherine Deneuve and Honoré regular Louis Garrel, among others. It looks fab - trailer here. Honoré will be doing a Q&A after the film screening on 18 November at the Ciné Lumière - tickets are £12 and I bought mine today.

The festival's website is a work in progress but you can see all the films showing in London here. There will also be screenings in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

62. Les invités de mon père (My father's guests)

This was almost a review of De vrais mensonges (Beautiful lies), the latest Audrey Tautou vehicle that's being promoted all over the place all of a sudden. I was on a plane to Toronto with Air Canada and an unexpected bonus was FIVE French films to choose from in flight (woop). Knowing I'd only get to watch one (due to baby responsibilites), I ditched De vrais mensonges a few minutes in - it wasn't looking promising. The reviews have been ok though, so maybe I should have stuck with it. But I didn't want to risk wasting my down time, and a few taps of the touch screen took me to Les invités de mon père.

I was congratulating myself on the decision after only a few minutes. It's a rare film that manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny and raise thought-provoking political issues, yet this illegal immigrant comedy (seriously!) does both. It begins with elderly Lucien Paumelle's annoucement that he plans to shelter undocumented immigrants in his home. His family accept this, clearly expecting a pitiful, needy case to hide away in his spare room. So they are stunned when brazenly sexy 28 year old Tatiana and her young daughter turn out to be Lucien's new house guests... and their shock turns to outright horror when he rapidly transfers his affection from his own children to the newcomers.

This clever comedy focuses more on the reaction to Lucien's actions than the actions themselves (fortunately, given the Viagra storyline). The way Tatiana's arrival affects his son and daughter, both middle aged and perhaps a little stuck in their ways, is particularly entertaining and affecting. 

One to look out for... it doesn't appear to have a UK release date yet but is available from Amazon.com (at a price!) - see link below.