Presented by Facets Cinematheque and the French Cultural Services in Chicago, the eighth annual Festival of New French Cinema runs December 3 through 12 at Facets. Tickets are $9, $5 for Facets Cinematheque members; for more information call 773-281-4114. Unless otherwise noted, all films are in French with subtitles.
This 2003 video documentary originated in the mid-90s when director Jean-Henri Meunier moved to Najac, a small medieval town nestled in a rugged cul-de-sac of the Midi-Pyrenees. His affection for his eccentric and resourceful neighbors translates here into a rhapsody of the quotidian: among the dozen villagers he celebrates are an indefatigable mechanic who channels his longing for his dead wife into his doll collection, a farmer whose Lithuanian Jewish family was inspired to emigrate by the humanist ideals of the French Revolution, and a philosophical eco-activist who blithely ignores his persistent bill collectors. Funny, sweet, and oddly reassuring, the video shows how people can bloom in isolation like the rare orchids that dot the mountainside. 94 min. (AG) (Fri 12/3, 9:15 PM)
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Eager Bodies
Claude Duty directed this 2002 musical melodrama about the friendship among three young women. 100 min. (Mon 12/6, 7 PM)
Leave Your Hands on My Hips
The title character is a ten-year-old boy wrestling with his first romantic feelings. Richard Berry directed this 2003 feature. 91 min. (Wed 12/8, 7 PM, and Sat 12/11, 1 PM)
