Any French movies to recommend? — Page 3

Put me in the camp that wasn't impressed with THE LIVES OF OTHERS, either. It didn't deserve to win, but the foreign film category is so unpredictable.

I hope you like THE RETURN as much as I did. It was one of those instances where I went in knowing nothing and left mesmerized. If I recall correctly, the leading actor (fifteen at the time of filming, and one of the best juvenile performances I've ever seen) drowned shortly after the film was completed--ironic, since the film is set on a lake and water figures heavily into the story.

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Agreed about Lives of Others.

I think Barbarian Invasions might be a film you have to be in the right mood to see. I saw it with my mother who was visiting me in Montreal and didn't know the previous film, but they're seperate enough that it doesn't matter (though I appreciated it more when I later saw it--the third film isn't nearly as good, though worth seeing). But it's very slow and very dialogue heavy... I still think it absolutely deserved its win, but I will say I'm often shocked at what gets nominated for Best Foreign Picture and what gets shut out. Barbarian Invasion did get a lot of praise though--Arcand made a name for himself among foreign film fans with Jesus of Montreal and then I think for a while he was seen as a disappointment, critics everywhere (will the ones that bothered to see it) seemed eager to praise it, even if I think it ws completely deserved.

(I really thought Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke deserved a nod--it was Japan's entry that year--but this was pre the best animated feature category, and I feel it was looked down upon for being animated even if it's Miyazaki's least "family" film. I also was disappointed CRAZY which Canada submitted its year wasn't nominated, though the gossip was that since it had been such a huge French hit, Miramax at the time bought American remake rights and were trying to get the the Quebec original somewhat blocked due to this--which explains why for years it wasn't available on DVD in the US and didn't even get a major art house film showing--not sure if that's changed now that interest in a remake seems to have fallen).

Matt, Water Drops is one of Ozon's more divisive films (and I think one of several he adapted from plays he didn't write), though I love it it's a bit of a return to his pretty full out and black satire of his early works like Sitcom. Most of his more recent stuff has a different feel (which some of his fans don't like--I admit his English costume drama Angel is a bit of a pretty mess, and I was very disappointed in Potiche despite great performances, but audiences seemed to lap it up).