09/02/2011

Dany Boon’s Nothing To Declare [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Pathé Films on 1,036 screens) and Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tom Hooper
film profile] (Wild Bunch Distribution – 260-print run increased to 380 in its second week) have got off to a flying start at the box office, garnering admissions totalling 2.24m and almost 400,000, respectively, in their first five days on release in France. Meanwhile, nine features are hitting theatres today and will try to squeeze in between these two blockbusters.

Standing out among the new releases is Anne Giafferi’s debut feature Who Wants to Be Loved? [+see also:
trailer
Interview 1 Une histoire vraie [FR]
Interview 2 Un homme et un Dieu [FR]
Interview 3 La Cathechese [FR]
film profile], an adaptation of Thierry Bizot’s novel Catholic Anonymous. Starring Eric Caravaca, Arly Jover, Valérie Bonneton, Jean-Luc Bideau and Benjamin Biolay, the film humorously explores the religious revelation that takes hold of a brilliant 40-year-old lawyer, who lives happily with his wife and two beautiful children. This unexpected, irrational, overwhelming and rather shameful encounter with God will completely transform his relationship with those around him.

"I was interested in showing why and how someone "normal", meaning well-balanced and not particularly vulnerable, may in spite of themselves be touched by religious faith", commented the director. "The film plays with the clichés and prejudices often levelled at the Catholic Church. It gently pokes fun at religious believers, but also at those who have prejudices against religion. Of course, the film looks at spirituality, quest and a search for meaning, but these subjects are explored in a light-hearted and ironic way, without proselytism. I tried to find a balance between a rather serious subject and a genre tending more towards comedy."

Produced by Elephant Story for €3.5m, Who Wants to Be Loved? received co-production support from France 3 Cinéma and pre-acquisitions from Canal + and Ciné Cinéma. The film is distributed by Haut et Court on a 100-print run.

Non-domestic European films are represented in this week’s line-up by Jasmila Zbanic’s On the Path [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which was unveiled in competition at last year’s Berlinale (see review – Diaphana Distribution on 29 screens); Lapland Odyssey [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Finnish director Dome Karukoski (see video interview – DistriB Films on 143 screens); and German/French animated co-production The Sandman and the Lost Sand of Dreams [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Jesper Moller and Simen Sakagolu (Bac Films on 130 screens).

Finally, the line-up also includes Bui Thac Chuyen’s Vietnamese/French co-production Adrift [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (distributed by Floris Films); and US director Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, featuring French actor Vincent Cassel.

(Translated from French)