It's New! It's French! It's Cinema!

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 29, 2005 6:42PM

Romantic misunderstandings? Class issues? Dudes named Thierry? Why, it must be the Ninth Annual Festival of New French Cinema at Facets!

All the films in this year’s fest, which runs from December 2nd through the 11th, make their U.S. or Chicago premieres here. Opening the fest is Let’s Be Friends, starring Gerard Depardieu. The French actor made headlines in early November over a prom…er, desire to quit acting entirely. Having been at it since 1967, the Dep believes he has “nothing left to prove.” His agent later said that the actor’s statement should not be taken at face value, which is French for “dude had too much wine.”

On its face, Let’s Be Friends has much in common with the Oscar-winning film Sideways: two men embark on a journey together to romance women and end up finding the most comforting solace in each other. The plot of the film proves what we’ve always thought: that foreign films aren’t really that foreign. Some emotions and ideas are truly universal like the evils of office work (Work Hard, Play Hard), the desire for personal satisfaction (Thirtyfive Something) and concerns over airport security (Love Is In The Air).

Of course, there are some plots you just won’t find in American cinema. Consider this line from a description of the film A Song Of Innocence, which calls he film a “a delectably sinister tale the examines the class struggle through a rare lens: the politics of nursing one’s own infant as opposed to passing it onto a lactating servant.” So a little like The Hand That Rocks The Cradle but not so much.

French filmmaker Thierry Jousse will participate in a Q&A following the screenings of his film Invisibles this Saturday at 7 PM and Sunday at 1 PM. Chicago Reader critic Jonathan Rosenbaum will interview the director following Sunday's screening. Expect a discussion of the current themes of New French cinema and where the genre is heading in the future.

Check the Facets website for the full schedule.