The hallmark of great directors is their ability to convey a sense of the sacred quality of what we are shown on screen. Guediguian achieves this here with his skillful interweaving of his characters' (largely sordid) lives on the backdrop of his beloved city. Even the least of these people is not beyond the possibility of redemption; Ariane Ascaride's role as the mother of a single-mother heroin addict is particularly powerful. A beautiful film shot with great tenderness.
Review of La ville est tranquille
