The 45th annual Mill Valley Film Festival has selected seven French-language films for their 2022 program, which runs from October 6 to October 16 in San Rafael and Mill Valley. This is an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the best new films from France, Belgium and Francophone Africa.
Tickets for individual screenings can be purchased beginning Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 12 noon at https://www.mvff.com/program/
The AFSR Cinéclub will be selecting one of these films for a field-trip visit to Marin County to see the film and have a post-film in-person get-together, during the second week of the festival. For information on the event, please send an email to cineclub@afsantarosa.org.
Here is the list of films and their screenings, at the Rafael Theater in San Rafael, and the Sequoia in downtown Mill Valley.
One Fine Morning (2022)
Original title: Un Beau Matin
Director: Mia Hansen-Løve
Running time: 1h52m
Genres: Drama, Romance
Showtimes
Saturday, October 8 at 4:00pm, Rafael Theater
This subtle film from one of contemporary cinema’s best directors, is a bittersweet exploration of how the vicissitudes of fate and the passage of time shape identities. Sandra (Léa Seydoux), a translator and single mom, shares responsibility with her sister and mother for her father, a former philosophy professor suffering from a neurodegenerative disease.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/bO-10dTauK8
The Passengers of the Night (2022)
Original title: Les Passagers de la Nuit
Director: Mikhaël Hers
Running time: 1h51m
Genres: Drama
Showtimes:
Saturday, October 8 at 6:00pm, Rafael Theater
Sunday, October 9 at 3:00pm, Sequoia
At once low-key and sweeping in its scope, reminiscent of Boyhood in its expansive slice of ordinary life, this astutely-observed, compassionate and warm-hearted drama draws fine work from actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg and Emmanuelle Béart.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/Tn1_WIHqpWQ
Rodeo (2022)
Original title: Rodéo
Director: Lola Quivoron (début feature)
Running time: 1h45m
Genres: Drama
Showtimes:
Sunday, October 9 at 6:00pm, Sequoia
Monday, October 10 at 4:00pm, Rafael Theater
Julia, a young woman in love with motorbikes and addicted to speed and dangerous thrills, takes her swagger to the limit to infiltrate an all-male pack of riders. The winner of Un Certain Regard’s Special Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Rodeo relates a passionate story of single-minded dedication and nonconformity, while condemning the misogynistic underpinnings of biker culture.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/Y3gQSXUD4rM
Mother and Son (2023)
Original title: Un Petit Frère
Director: Léonor Serraille
Running time: 1h56m
Genres: Drama
Showtimes:
Friday, October 7 at 4:00pm, Rafael Theater
Wednesday, October 12 at 3:00pm, Rafael Theater
Spanning twenty years, Mother and Son follows Rose, who moves from the Ivory Coast to France in 1989 with her two sons Jean and Ernest. Presented in triptych form, each section explores one of these three richly-scripted characters.
Our Brothers (2022)
Original title: Nos Frangins
Director: Rachid Bouchareb
Running time: 1h32m
Genres: Drama, History
Showtimes:
Wednesday, October 12 at 7:00pm, Sequoia
Thursday, October 13 at 3:00pm, Rafael Theater
Police will stop at nothing to hide their misconduct in this look back with anger at the murders of Abdel Benyahia and Malik Oussekine in 1986 Paris. Featuring actor Reda Kateb, this sobering true story, set against a backdrop of student protests for higher-education reform, examines how the killings resulted from police arrogance and incompetence, and how law-enforcement officials conspired to bury the truth.
Our Father, the Devil (2021)
Original title: Mon Père, le Diable
Director: Ellie Foumbi
Running time: 1h48m
Genres: Drama, Thriller
Showtimes:
Thursday, October 13, 6:00pm, Rafael Theater
Friday, October 14, 11:00am, Sequoia
Winner of the audience award for Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. Years after violent conflict shattered her life in Africa, Marie Cissé has found refuge working as the head chef in a retirement home in small-town France. She isn’t prepared for the flood of emotions that erupt when a new priest, Father Patrick, arrives at her workplace and she recognizes him as a terrifying figure from her traumatic past.
Close (2022)
Director: Lukas Dhont
Running time: 1h45m
Genres: Drama
Showtimes:
Friday, October 14 at 6:00pm, Sequoia
Saturday, October 15 at 8:00pm, Rafael Theater
The winner of the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Close chronicles the bond between two 13-year-olds who seem inseparable until their connection provokes teasing by classmates, leading to tragedy. Belgian director Lukas Dhont collaborates with his sensitive young actors to create an indelible snapshot of adolescence so quietly profound and entrancing that it resembles a dream.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/6EJGnU2AmV4