Colombian writer-director Franco Lolli wrongfoots us a little with the title of his sophomore feature “Litigante”: Unsuspecting audiences may go in expecting a courtroom drama, not least given that its protagonist is an embattled public-sector lawyer. As it turns out, for fortyish single mother Silvia — played with utterly credible, bone-deep weariness by the superb Carolina Sanin — family life provides most of her trials. As she shoulders the various, intermeshing stresses of caring for her cancer-stricken mother, handling an office corruption crisis and embarking on an awkwardly timed new romance, Silvia is pushed close to a breaking point that she impressively never quite reaches. In turn, “Litigante,” affecting and intelligently observed as it is, falls just short of a rewarding dramatic crescendo: It’s a film of small, precisely rendered moments rather than major emotional flourishes.
That should be enough for this small-scale Franco-Colombian production to build a case for...
That should be enough for this small-scale Franco-Colombian production to build a case for...
- 5/16/2019
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
★★☆☆☆ Jean-Claude Brisseau's The Girl from Nowhere (La fille de nulle part, 2012) feels more like the work of a first-time director than a seasoned French auteur, partly due to its low budget and bloated, pseudo-intellectualist themes. The story opens with a quote from Hugo's Les Misérables, in what is the first of many literary, artistic and philosophical references. We then meet Michel Deviliers (played by Brisseau) who is penning his tome inspired by events during the French communist riots of 1968. He's disturbed by shouting outside, leading him to rescue a nubile blonde, Dora (Virginie Legeay), from being beaten up by a thug.
This self-proclaimed 'sorceress' ends up becoming Deviliers' attractive muse, helping him to finish his novel. That's when the 'bumps in the night' begin to occur, and a series of strange happenings start to draw the academic away from his work. Part supernatural thriller, part philosophical treatise, the general...
This self-proclaimed 'sorceress' ends up becoming Deviliers' attractive muse, helping him to finish his novel. That's when the 'bumps in the night' begin to occur, and a series of strange happenings start to draw the academic away from his work. Part supernatural thriller, part philosophical treatise, the general...
- 7/9/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.