Who says Wednesday, says cinema. Today, we present to you the films of the week, in order to guide you into the dark rooms.
1. Goodbye Jean-Pat
Genre: comedy
Director: Cécilia Rouaud
Actors: Hakim Jemili, Fanny Sidney, Constance Labbé
Summary: Étienne, 35 years old, has not forgiven his “friend” Jean-Pat, who made his life difficult throughout childhood. When he learns of his death, Étienne is not devastated. However, he finds himself, despite himself, organizing the funeral of his worst adversary. It is undeniable that Jean-Pat never stopped ruining his life.
Director of the films Les Complices, released in 2023, and Photo de famille, made in 2018, Cécilia Rouaud continues her work in French comedy with actor Hakim Jemili playing Étienne. On paper, the film is not a brilliant or original comedy, but the director managed to create rather pleasant and endearing entertainment. Jean-Pat follows the same logic, a concept where one cries with laughter.
2. Haifa Chronicles – Palestinian Stories
Genre: drama
Director: Scandar Copti
Actors: Manar Shehab, Toufic Danial, Wafaa Aoun
Summary: In Haifa, within a Palestinian family, Fifi, aged 25, is hospitalized after a car accident that could expose her secret. Rami, her brother, discovers that his Jewish girlfriend is pregnant. The mother, Hanan, keeps up appearances while the father faces financial problems. One house, four voices, amidst generational conflicts and taboos, in a society where everything can change at any moment.
Scandar Copti, a Palestinian director, writer, and actor, seeks to address the issues of Arab populations in Israel. Structured like a puzzle, the film evokes the patriarchal social context where sisterhood is constantly thwarted by family pressure and the street. Palestinians face xenophobic demonstrations from Israelis. Israelis call for avoiding Palestinians and boycotting their businesses.
3. Exit 8
Genre: horror
Director: Genki Kawamura
Actors: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kôchi, Naru Asanuma
Summary: A man finds himself trapped in a subway corridor, searching for exit number 8. To find it, he must track anomalies. If he sees one, he turns around. If he sees none, he continues. If he makes a mistake, he is sent back to his starting point. Will he manage to escape this endless corridor?
Based on the video game Exit 8, the film’s director, Genki Kawamura, adapted the concept into a movie. To maintain the suffocating atmosphere, with the recurring theme and walls of immaculate white, the director adds an additional psychological dimension with a main character confronted with the unexpected announcement of his partner’s pregnancy.
4. Neither gods nor masters
Genre: adventure, historical
Director: Eric Cherrière
Actors: Saleh Bakri, Pascal Greggory, Richard Duval
Summary: In 1215, during winter, a mysterious stranger arrives in a small isolated village. The former crusading hero, Lord Ocam, rules this part of the kingdom of France where famine and leprosy are present. With his horde of knights, he kidnaps a young girl to exercise his right of the first night. The stranger, aided by a few villagers, tries to free her. Presented at the Strasbourg Fantastic Film Festival in 2019, the film takes place in a fantasized and crepuscular Middle Ages.
5. In the shadow of Marlow
Genres: drama, thriller
Directors: Aurélien Harzoune, Bertrand Mineur
Actors: Margaux Pecharman, Bruno Salomone, Thierry Desroses
Summary: Marlow is in search of a mythical box that can fulfill all dreams. While she believes she has found it, an amazing revelation comes to light. Selected in 2024 at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival, In the shadow of Marlow is chosen in the “New Perspectives” category.
