Cinemania: Five films to catch over festival’s final weekend
The 24th edition of Cinemania is coming to a close, but there are still some gems to take in. As usual, Montreal’s festival of French films — (almost) all shown with English subtitles — reels in highlights from Cannes and other international fests. Here are five films to catch before the weekend’s out. Screenings are at the Imperial Cinema, unless otherwise noted.
LE MONDE EST à TOI (THE WORLD IS YOURS) Friday at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m.
Known for his provocative music videos for Justice, M.I.A., Jay-Z and Kanye West, French director Romain Gavras is ever on the cutting edge, pushing boundaries of taste and reality. His riotous 2009 debut feature Our Day Will Come imagined a dystopic future in which redheads are hunted down and shot. He will be on hand to introduce his new film, starring Vincent Cassel and Isabelle Adjani in a madcap plot involving Mr. Freezes, gangsters and copious amounts of nonsense. It premièred earlier this year as part of Cannes’ Directors Fortnight.
SOFIA SATURDAY AT 9:30 A.M. AT THE IMPERIAL, WITH FRENCH SUBTITLES Sunday at 2 p.m. at Cinéma du Musée, with English subtitles
Writer-director Meryem Benm’Barek’s first feature premièred at Cannes in the Un certain regard section, winning best screenplay. In Sofia, the title character, who lives in Casablanca with her parents, doesn’t want to admit she’s pregnant. But when reality can no longer be avoided, she must confront the Moroccan health and legal systems, which prevent a woman from having a child out of wedlock.
LES DRAPEAUX DE PAPPIER (PAPER FLAGS) Saturday at 11:15 a.m.
Nathan Ambrosioni has been called the French Xavier Dolan. The 19-year-old made his first features (not one, but two films) at age 15, a pair of horror films that played at Montreal’s Fantasia, among other festivals. Paper Flags is his first “professional” feature, with a proper producer and something resembling a budget. The touching psychodrama tells the story of Vincent, 30, who gets out of prison after 12 years, and moves in with his younger sister Charlie, a cashier just trying to get by. Ambrosioni will be present to introduce the film.
LES FILLES DU SOLEIL (GIRLS OF THE SUN) Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Outremont Theatre, Sunday at 3:15 p.m. at the Imperial Cinema
French writer-director Eva Husson’s second feature premièred in competition at Cannes. Les Filles du soleil dramatizes the efforts of Kurdish female soldiers engaged in the war against ISIS. Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani plays the group leader, a lawyer and mother turned freedom fighter after her town is attacked and her family killed. Husson will be present to introduce the film.
EDMOND Sunday at 6:15 p.m.
Cinemania’s closing film. Based on his award-winning play of the same name, Alexis Michalik’s Edmond dramatizes — with ample humour — the true story of Edmond Rostand (Thomas Solivérès), a failed French writer in 1897 Paris who, inspired by actor Constant Coquelin (Olivier Gourmet), pens what will turn out to be his career-defining masterpiece, Cyrano de Bergerac. Solivérès will be present to introduce the film.