5 Films for the culturally & politically inquisitive (Alliance Française French Film Festival)

Going to the movies isn’t just about having a LOL and eating your body weight in popcorn, sometimes it’s an opportunity to look beyond our own lives and learn about cultures and communities far removed from our own. These films may be confronting and often heart-breaking, but they are also enlightening and soul-restoring.

Les Misérables

Set in the troubled Parisian district of Montfermeil, this searing tale follows cop Stéphane who works on the fringes of both the city and society. With tensions at boiling point, it’s a trial by fire as he and his corrupt, often violent, colleagues, face off against the region’s clashing factions of angry teens.

Invisibles

In this soul-enriching comedy, an illegal women’s shelter earmarked for closure, decides to fight back by turning to unorthodox methods of survival, when bureaucrats ignore their pleas for assistance. From now on everything is allowed…!

In the Name of Land

Returning to France in the late 70s, Pierre marries his sweetheart and takes over his father’s farm. But twenty years onwards, Pierre is exhausted. With mounting debt, what was once satisfying begins to take an insidious toll on his family who risk being torn apart by the property that binds them, in this powerful tale of resilience.

Farewell to the Night

Muriel, a respected member of her idyllic local community, is horrified to discover that her visiting grandson, who claims to be heading to Canada for work, has in reality been radicalised by Islamist extremists. His plans to fight for ISIS in Syria expose this ordinary woman to a moral dilemma of heart-breaking proportions.

The Swallows of Kabul

Based on the cherished novel of the same name, the story follows two couples living in the Afghan capital during the 90s and the impact Taliban rule has on each relationship. Through their individual love stories, unforgettable characters emerge amid the devastating impact of armed combat.