my movie experiences at Edinburgh’s Film House have made it hard for me to truly enjoy going to the movies here in the US. the good selection of international films takes what seems like forever to arrive in the mid-west… and the foreign film fest never seems to have the big Hollywood-esque propaganda nor lasts long enough. but i shall stop complaining… for there’re two films i am looking forward to catching this holiday season, if they will arrive by the holidays!

one of my favourite female actresses, Kristin Scott Thomas, stars in the French film: “I’ve Loved You So Long” [Il y a longtemps que je t'aime]. some of you might recall her seductive performance in the late Anthony Minghella’s adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s “The English Patient”. various sad themes run in parallel throughout the film “I’ve Loved You So Long” but there seems to be a lot of character study in the good French film tradition, which brings out the layers of humanity. it portrays the struggles of Juliette (played by Scott Thomas) in rebuilding her life after being released from prison for a pretty heinous crime, and i am curious to find out what really led her to it.

unlike Nicolas Philibert’s film: “Être et avoir”, which documented a school year in the French country, Laurent Cantet’s “The Class” covers the school year in a French classroom that resides in a difficult suburban community. i am eager to experience what critics and reviews have claimed to be worthy of the prestigious Palme d’Or in this year’s Cannes. “The Class” appears to be reminiscent of “The History Boys“, which was hilariously charming, although i suspect the French version of a film about education might be a little more grounded in reality.
gosh! can’t these films come to the twin-cities any quicker??