French Cinema
by ayoub-biad | created - 04 Jun 2020 | updated - 1 week ago | PublicThe best French films
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1. Léon: The Professional (1994)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama
12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello
Votes: 1,244,205 | Gross: $19.50M
9.5/10
2. The Intouchables (2011)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama
After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.
Directors: Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano | Stars: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot
Votes: 928,102 | Gross: $13.18M
9.5/10
3. The Hole (1960)
Not Rated | 131 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Distrust and uncertainty arise when four long-term inmates cautiously induct a new prisoner into their elaborate prison-break scheme.
Director: Jacques Becker | Stars: André Bervil, Jean Keraudy, Michel Constantin, Philippe Leroy
Votes: 20,336 | Gross: $0.03M
9/10
4. Three Colors: Red (1994)
R | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A model discovers a retired judge is keen on invading people's privacy.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Frédérique Feder, Jean-Pierre Lorit
Votes: 109,926 | Gross: $4.04M
9/10
5. Certified Copy (2010)
Not Rated | 106 min | Drama, Romance
In Tuscany to promote his latest book, a middle-aged British writer meets a French woman who leads him to the village of Lucignano. While there, a chance question reveals something deeper.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell, Jean-Claude Carrière, Agathe Natanson
Votes: 26,864 | Gross: $1.34M
9/10
6. Goodbye, Children (1987)
PG | 104 min | Drama, War
A French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives. Occupying the next bed in the dormitory to the top student in his class, the two young boys begin to form a bond.
Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö, Francine Racette, Stanislas Carré de Malberg
Votes: 36,097 | Gross: $4.54M
8.5/10
7. The Samurai (1967)
GP | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier
Votes: 57,039 | Gross: $0.04M
8.5/10
8. The Red Circle (1970)
Not Rated | 140 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After leaving prison, master thief Corey crosses paths with a notorious escapee and an alcoholic former policeman. The trio proceed to plot an elaborate heist.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè, Yves Montand
Votes: 28,112 | Gross: $0.37M
8.5/10
9. Les Misérables (2019)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A cop from the provinces moves to Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, discovering an underworld where the tensions between the different groups mark the rhythm.
Director: Ladj Ly | Stars: Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djebril Zonga, Issa Perica
Votes: 28,244 | Gross: $0.33M
8.5/10
10. Divines (2016)
105 min | Crime, Drama
A street teenager from a dysfunctional family from a banlieue (HLMs) in Paris comes across a young dancer who turns her life upside down.
Director: Houda Benyamina | Stars: Oulaya Amamra, Déborah Lukumuena, Kévin Mischel, Jisca Kalvanda
Votes: 10,518
8.5/10
11. La haine (1995)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama
24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili
Votes: 196,108 | Gross: $0.31M
8.5/10
12. A Prophet (2009)
R | 155 min | Crime, Drama
A young Algerian man is sent to a French prison.
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb
Votes: 102,133 | Gross: $2.08M
8.5/10
13. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
R | 122 min | Drama, Romance
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
Director: Céline Sciamma | Stars: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino
Votes: 109,240 | Gross: $3.76M
8.5/10
14. Amélie (2001)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Romance
Despite being caught in her imaginative world, Amelie, a young waitress, decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey where she finds true love.
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta
Votes: 793,698 | Gross: $33.23M
8.5/10
15. The Past (2013)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Mystery
An Iranian man deserts his French wife and her two children to return to his homeland. Meanwhile, his wife starts up a new relationship, a reality her husband confronts upon his wife's request for a divorce.
Director: Asghar Farhadi | Stars: Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mosaffa, Pauline Burlet
Votes: 50,862 | Gross: $1.33M
8/10
16. The Class (2008)
PG-13 | 128 min | Drama
Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.
Director: Laurent Cantet | Stars: François Bégaudeau, Agame Malembo-Emene, Angélica Sancio, Arthur Fogel
Votes: 36,390 | Gross: $3.77M
8/10
17. Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)
NC-17 | 180 min | Drama, Romance
Adèle's life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire and to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adèle grows, seeks herself, loses herself, and ultimately finds herself through love and loss.
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche | Stars: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing
Votes: 162,934 | Gross: $2.20M
8/10
18. Army of Shadows (1969)
Not Rated | 145 min | Drama, War
An account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Simone Signoret
Votes: 25,817 | Gross: $0.74M
8/10
19. Rififi (1955)
Not Rated | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Four men plan a technically perfect crime, but the human element intervenes...
Director: Jules Dassin | Stars: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel, Janine Darcey
Votes: 36,819 | Gross: $0.06M
8/10
20. Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
Not Rated | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.
Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly, Yori Bertin
Votes: 28,601 | Gross: $0.11M
8/10
21. Don't Worry, I'm Fine (2006)
92 min | Drama
Lili returns from holidays and learns that her twin brother left the house after a violent argument with their father.
Director: Philippe Lioret | Stars: Mélanie Laurent, Kad Merad, Isabelle Renauld, Julien Boisselier
Votes: 11,295
8/10
22. Rust and Bone (2012)
R | 120 min | Drama, Romance
Put in charge of his young son, Alain leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Alain's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident.
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Armand Verdure, Céline Sallette
Votes: 70,262 | Gross: $2.06M
8/10
23. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
PG-13 | 112 min | Biography, Drama
The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.
Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny
Votes: 110,401 | Gross: $5.99M
8/10
24. Le Dîner de Cons (1998)
PG-13 | 80 min | Comedy
A few friends have a weekly fools' dinner, where each brings a fool along. Pierre finds a champion fool for next dinner. Surprise.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret, Francis Huster, Daniel Prévost
Votes: 44,313 | Gross: $4.07M
8/10
25. The Secret of the Grain (2007)
Not Rated | 151 min | Drama
In southern France, a Franco-Arabic shipyard worker along with his partner's daughter pursues his dream of opening a restaurant.
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche | Stars: Habib Boufares, Hafsia Herzi, Farida Benkhetache, Abdelhamid Aktouche
Votes: 7,904 | Gross: $0.09M
8/10
26. Three Colors: Blue (1993)
R | 94 min | Drama, Music, Mystery
A woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Benoît Régent
Votes: 110,404 | Gross: $1.32M
8/10
27. Amour (2012)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama
Georges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, Alexandre Tharaud
Votes: 105,614 | Gross: $6.74M
8/10
28. What the Day Owes the Night (2012)
162 min | Drama, Romance
Algeria in the 1930s. Nine-year-old Jonas was placed in the care of his uncle in Oran. He befriends the youth of Rio Salado. Emily is loved by all. The love that grows between Jonas and Emily is influenced by the country's conflicts.
Director: Alexandre Arcady | Stars: Nora Arnezeder, Fu'ad Aït Aattou, Anne Parillaud, Vincent Perez
Votes: 3,968
8/10
29. Goodbye First Love (2011)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama, Romance
A chronicle of the romance between Camille and Sullivan, which begins during their adolescence and picks up after Sullivan's 8-year absence from exploring the world.
Director: Mia Hansen-Løve | Stars: Lola Créton, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Magne-Håvard Brekke, Valérie Bonneton
Votes: 5,730 | Gross: $0.06M
8/10
30. Dheepan (2015)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama
Dheepan is a Sri Lankan Tamil warrior who flees to France and ends up working as a caretaker outside Paris.
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan, Claudine Vinasithamby, Vincent Rottiers
Votes: 16,806 | Gross: $0.25M
8/10
31. Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A woman is suspected of murder after her husband's death; their half-blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.
Director: Justine Triet | Stars: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner, Antoine Reinartz
Votes: 116,108
8/10
32. I... For Icarus (1979)
120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Conspiracy thriller inspired by the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of JFK. After a fictional president is assassinated, a determined, tough prosecutor investigates the emerging conspiracy behind it.
Director: Henri Verneuil | Stars: Yves Montand, Michel Albertini, Roland Amstutz, Jean-Pierre Bagot
Votes: 4,557
8/10
33. Tomboy (2011)
Not Rated | 82 min | Drama
A family moves into a new neighborhood, and a 10-year-old named Laure deliberately presents as a boy named Mikhael to the neighborhood children.
Director: Céline Sciamma | Stars: Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Sophie Cattani
Votes: 22,257 | Gross: $0.13M
8/10
34. Tell No One (2006)
Not Rated | 131 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An accidental discovery near a doctor's estate stirs up some painful memories eight years after his wife's hideous murder, and now, things are bound to take a turn for the unexpected. Does the good doctor know more than he's letting on?
Director: Guillaume Canet | Stars: François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier, Kristin Scott Thomas
Votes: 57,955 | Gross: $6.18M
8/10
35. Two Is a Family (2016)
118 min | Comedy, Drama
A bachelor enjoys his sweet life on the French Riviera until a one-night stand tells him, he's dad to Gloria and leaves her with him. He moves to London with Gloria. Mom turns up 8 years later.
Director: Hugo Gélin | Stars: Omar Sy, Clémence Poésy, Antoine Bertrand, Ashley Walters
Votes: 28,578
8/10
36. Love Affair(s) (2020)
122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Waiting for her boyfriend to join her on a country vacation, three months pregnant Daphne bonds with his cousin Maxime, and their shared intimacy brings them closer together into a full fledged love affair.
Director: Emmanuel Mouret | Stars: Camélia Jordana, Niels Schneider, Vincent Macaigne, Émilie Dequenne
Votes: 2,967
8/10
37. Bye Bye Morons (2020)
87 min | Comedy, Drama
A seriously-ill woman tries to find her long-lost child with the help of a man in the middle of a burnout and a blind archivist.
Director: Albert Dupontel | Stars: Virginie Efira, Albert Dupontel, Nicolas Marié, Jackie Berroyer
Votes: 6,805
8/10
38. Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno (2017)
181 min | Comedy, Romance
A teen boy comes back to his hometown during summer vacation in 1994, searching for love.
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche | Stars: Shaïn Boumedine, Ophélie Bau, Salim Kechiouche, Lou Luttiau
Votes: 4,024
7.5/10
39. Breathe (2014)
Not Rated | 91 min | Drama
Charlie is an average French suburban teenager, but when she becomes fast friends with Sarah, the rebellious new girl at school, she discovers there's nothing average about how she feels.
Director: Mélanie Laurent | Stars: Joséphine Japy, Lou de Laâge, Isabelle Carré, Claire Keim
Votes: 7,844 | Gross: $0.04M
7.5/10
40. The Toy (1976)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
A poor journalist finds himself as a toy of a boss' son. Making friends with a naughty child, he tries to save him from the cruel power of his father.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Pierre Richard, Michel Bouquet, Fabrice Greco, Jacques François
Votes: 6,330
7.5/10
41. The Workshop (2017)
Not Rated | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
The scene is set one Summer in La Ciotat, a town near Marseille which used to be prosperous thanks to its huge dockyard but has been in decline since its closing 25 years before. It is in ... See full summary »
Director: Laurent Cantet | Stars: Marina Foïs, Matthieu Lucci, Florian Beaujean, Doudou Masta
Votes: 2,274 | Gross: $0.02M
7.5/10
42. The Translators (2019)
105 min | Mystery, Thriller
Nine translators hired to translate the eagerly-awaited final book of a bestselling trilogy are confined in a luxurious bunker. The dream job becomes a nightmare when the first 10 pages of the top-secret manuscript appear online.
Director: Régis Roinsard | Stars: Lambert Wilson, Olga Kurylenko, Riccardo Scamarcio, Sidse Babett Knudsen
Votes: 9,220
7.5/10
43. Elle (I) (2016)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who raped her.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling
Votes: 71,105
7/10
44. Black Box (2021)
129 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A young and talented black box analyst is on a mission to solve the reason behind the deadly crash of a brand new aircraft.
Director: Yann Gozlan | Stars: Pierre Niney, Lou de Laâge, André Dussollier, Sébastien Pouderoux
Votes: 14,877
7/10
45. Caché (2005)
R | 117 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice Bénichou, Annie Girardot
Votes: 85,134 | Gross: $3.63M
7/10
46. Happening (2021)
R | 100 min | Drama
An adaptation of Annie Ernaux's novel of the same name, looking back on her experience with abortion when it was still illegal in France in the 1960s.
Director: Audrey Diwan | Stars: Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, Luàna Bajrami, Louise Orry-Diquéro
Votes: 11,520
7/10
47. Fat Girl (2001)
Not Rated | 86 min | Drama
Two sisters confront their sexual attitudes and experiences while on a family holiday.
Director: Catherine Breillat | Stars: Anaïs Reboux, Roxane Mesquida, Libero De Rienzo, Arsinée Khanjian
Votes: 12,808 | Gross: $0.72M
7/10
48. Lux Æterna (2019)
51 min | Drama, Thriller
Two actresses, Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg, are on a film set telling stories about witches - but that's not all. 'Lux Æterna' is also an essay on cinema, the love of film, and on-set hysterics.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Béatrice Dalle, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Abbey Lee, Claude-Emmanuelle Gajan-Maull
Votes: 7,355
7/10
49. Une femme de ménage (2002)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After his wife leaves him for another man, Jacques hires a housekeeper, Laura, to keep his Paris apartment in order.
Director: Claude Berri | Stars: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Émilie Dequenne, Brigitte Catillon, Jacques Frantz
Votes: 1,888 | Gross: $0.46M
6.5/10
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