From picturesque nature documentaries, to thrilling body horror features and homages to famed musical icons, this year's DVD releases are a diverse and fascinating array of films, showcasing the breadth of French cinema.
Titane, dir. by Julia Ducournau
After a car accident as child, dancer Alexia was left with a titanium plate drilled into her head. Now an adult, and amidst a series of unexplained murders, she will cross paths with middle aged firefighter Vincent, who is desperately looking for his missing son, who disappeared decades prior. Their meeting will alter the course of both their lives, and a strange intimacy will form between them. An unsettling, Cronenbergian thriller exploring female sexual desire, gender fluidity and familial relations from the director who brought us 2016's cannibalistic Grave, Titane won the Palme d'Or in 2021.
En Corps, dir. by Cédric Klapisch
A very promising classical dancer is injured during a performance at the Opera de Paris. Although she’s told she will no longer be able to dance, she will try to find a new direction.
Cédric Klapisch is known for his ability to capture human relationships and restore it with softness, kindness, tenderness, a little humour and a lot of optimism. This one stays in this line and gives breath-taking dance sequences.
Aline, dir. by Valérie Lemercier
Comedian Valérie Lemercier received several accolades and a Cesar for this French-Canadian tribute to a certain world star and pop icon. The entire story is there: her humble childhood in Canada, the Eurovision song contest, ‘Titanic’, her relationship with her manager.
This is not-quite a biopic, or a drama, or a comedy- but it is definitely fun, baffling and not just reserved for fans.
Retour à Reims (Fragments), dir. by Jean-Gabriel Périot
Adapted from Didier Eribon's essential works, repurposing archives footage, Adèle Haenel's narration ties together a fantastic thread through French working-class history. It tells the difficulties of solidarity, develops into an examination of social inequality and the growth of the far right. The epilogue takes a contemporary position on what it now means to be working class and today’s social movements. An enthralling, and fascinatingly compelling political and historical essay.
La Panthère des Neiges, dir. by Vincent Munier & Marie Amiguet
High up on the Tibetan plateau lies one of the wild world’s last sanctuaries. Renowned wildlife photographer Vincent Munier takes novelist Sylvain Tesson with him on his latest mission. Together they try to spot the rare snow leopard. This becomes a meditation an invitation to slow down and reflect on our place and impact on the natural world. The cinematography and photography are stunning.
César du meilleur film documentaire, France, 2022