#39th César Awards

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L'Écume des jours (2013, Michel Gondry)

28/04/2024

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MOVIE REVIEW: As She Tends, a Wife Starts to Find Herself

Life and death circle each other restlessly and then furiously in the Afghan-set movie “The Patience Stone.” Life takes the form of an unnamed beautiful young woman (the fine Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani) who, when the story opens, is caring for her wounded, much older husband, also unnamed (Hamidrez Javdan), an immobilized Mujahedeen fighter with a bullet in his neck and the slender tube of a medical drip bag snaked into his mouth. They’re simply two people inside an austere room. Yet, as bombs shake the walls and she places a bloodied compress on his head, they are quickly transformed into a time-tested, outwardly reassuring vision of a woman heroically ministering to a wounded, possibly dying man.

It’s an image that the director, Atiq Rahimi, an Afghan who’s been living in France since the mid-1980s, soon deconstructs in this adaptation of his 2008 novel of the same title. Written with the veteran screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière (who has collaborated with Luis Buñuel and Jean-Luc Godard), the movie has an elegant, initially attractive simplicity. Once the bombs stop, if temporarily, the woman begins to speak, leaning over her apparently comatose husband and asking, “Can you hear me?” It isn’t a simple question even in most close relationships. Here while it reveals the woman’s uncertainty about her husband’s condition — he remains almost completely motionless, though at times his eyes are disconcertingly open — the question also conveys her enforced existential silence as an Afghan wife.

Once she begins speaking she rarely stops, filling the silence with whispered fears, surprisingly few sobs, an occasional punctuating cry of alarm and, increasingly, long-nurtured resentments. Abandoned by her in-laws, who have fled this unspecified war — the only fighters we see are Afghans — the woman has been forced to care for her husband and their two young daughters on her own. The money appears to have run out along with her relatives and options. The local pharmacist refuses to give her more medicine because she owes too much money and even the water-delivery man has stopped coming. A few neighbors hover about, cowering with her and the children in a basement when the bombs fall too close, but otherwise she’s alone.

Mr. Rahimi opens up an entire world inside the couple’s modest house, filling its few rooms with enough air, sharp words and slow-boiling intrigue that the walls never feel as if they’re closing in on you. The near-constant dialogue keeps things moving, even when the characters remain still, as does a camera that repeatedly focuses on some new detail — a view from a window, a man’s portrait on a wall — that adds information to the evolving tale. Every so often both the camera and the woman venture outdoors, wandering into the forlorn, dusty streets among the ruined homes and emaciated dogs. After several failed tries, she at last arrives at her aunt’s home, where the story begins taking a turn for the melodramatic. (The movie was largely made in Morocco, with exteriors shot in Afghanistan.)

In its outline, “The Patience Stone” mirrors an Afghan myth (“The 70-Year-Old Corpse”) that appears in the book “Folktales Told Around the World.” The book’s editor, the folklorist Richard M. Dorson, explained that the story — which involves a young woman being given to an old man in an arranged marriage — had been told by women “as a healthy expression of their stifled feelings in a male-dominated world.” That pretty much distills the fictionalized world represented in “The Patience Stone,” although Mr. Rahimi takes a rather more poetic approach to the same subject, using universals (Man and Woman) as proxies in a battle that, as the story progresses, takes on an abstract quality. Yet while there may be truths in some universals, it’s hard to forget that this tale has its roots in a bitterly real world.

— Manohla Dargis

“The Patience Stone” is rated R (Under 17 requires a parent or adult guardian). Violence and adult language.

The Patience Stone

Director: Atiq Rahimi Stars: Golshifteh Farahani, Hamid Djavadan, Hassina Burgan, Massi Mrowat, Mohamed Al Maghraoui Rating: R Running Time: 1h 42m Genres: Drama, War

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Adèle Haenel at the 39th Annual César Awards, 28/2/14

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The Widow’s round-up of the 39th Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, Paris

Here we are back at Cirque de Demain after a gap of 11 years. Oh, how we hated Cirque Phénix’s sports hall venue when we first came, with its raised lip around the ring that you couldn’t see over – nothing like the festival’s exquisite former setting of the historic Cirque d’Hiver. But, huzzah, things are so much better now, with tiers of seating screened off to make the arena more like a circus tent, and the audience arranged around a square raised stage. It also has a live orchestra and glitzy showbiz lighting. This is what we thought of it… By Liz Arratoon

BEST ACT: Barcode Company’s Russian bar. Oooh, this was so good. A really fresh approach to the discipline, with every aspect considered and stunning pinpoint somersaults from flyer Alexandra Royer. The bases are Eric Bates and Tristan Nielsen. This act has the same wow factor as when we first saw The White Crow.

BEST GUEST ACT: American Eric Bates with his cigar box juggling. Read our archive interview with him.

BEST ARTIST: Eric Bates, not only an amazing Russian bar base, but a world-class cigar-box juggler. How does he have the time?

MOST EXCITING ACT: Lukas and Aaron on Korean plank. Thrilling self-propelled somersaults, cleverly choreographed to give themselves a rest in-between moves.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Lazuz Company; a juggler and an acrobat interacting rather nicely.

MOST STYLISH ACT: Sasha Harrington and Andrew Adams of The Silhouette on straps, performing with a red umbrella.

MOST WELCOME RETURN FROM INJURY: Andrew Adams. Find out more in our interview.

MOST DARING ACT: Viivi R and Fragan G Duo, who performed bewildering ‘trust’ moves – such as holding each other feet to feet – on corde lisse; very high, no lunge, no crash mat. Yikes! But they also get the…

STRANGEST START: A burning rope that blazed like a lit dynamite fuse, and sparkly costumes that fell away to reveal their grey outfits.

BEST ‘GASP’ ACT: The B-Boys of Art Core, whose moves, such as jumping on one forearm, were unbelievable.

MOST ELEGANT ACT: Germany’s Lea Hinz on aerial hoop (part of Art Core, pictured below).

BEST PROP: Walking stick used by American Timber Brown on his mini aerial hoop.

WEIRDEST EQUIPMENT: Martin Riedel’s ugly, monolithic robotic arm, which blocked the sight of much of his act… and it must have cost tens of thousands…

HAPPIEST ACT: Frenchman Thomas Mangin, on straps, beamed all through his performance, which was backed by a fun sort of calypso beat. Also, he wore gold and red, not grey.

MOST UNNECESSARY PROP: Thomas Mangin’s small red ball. What was it doing there?

BEST GROUP ACT: Well, um, it would have to be Cirque Eloize’s intro number with seven men, manhandling one amazing woman acrobat/contortionist. 

BEST DUO: Hard to choose between hand-to-hand duos Julius and César (pictured below) and Tristan and Eve (also from Barcode Company).

BEST MUSIC: Barcode, whose track about ‘falling’ matched some of their intended moves.

WORST MUSIC: Taiwan diabolo troupe Diabolism. For us it ruined the act but the jury didn’t seem to mind it.

MOST FEATURED DISCIPLINES: Hand to hand – three; diabolo – three; straps – three.

BEST COSTUMES: Barcode Company, who had stylish individual outfits. Also Xander and Mélanie on static trapeze, who had coordinating black and red-wine coloured athletic wear. Really a beautifully choreographed number with lots of wonderful casting and catching tricks.

BEST TECHNICAL SKILLS: China’s Hong Haitao. It was clear he would get the jury’s gold, having performed two technically perfect acts: hand-balancing and strength moves on a high pole, including breathtaking slo-mo planches. He executed similar poses on an incredibly high column of chairs. Bloody hell!

MOST USED COSTUME COLOUR: Grey. Hmmm.

MOST OVERUSED FEATURE: Beards! Hmmm.

MOST UNDERUSED FEATURE: Women! Hmmm.

MOST OVERUSED TREND: Casual scruffy jeans, chinos and T-shirts. Get some costumes!

MOST MISSED FROM FINAL: Hand-to-hand pair Gonçalo Roque and Kinga Grzeskow of Duo Destiny, who performed a lovely number on a park bench. We think she was meant to be his ‘dream’ girl….

AGE LIMIT: What age limit?

JURY M/F IMBALANCE: Male – eight; female – two! Not good enough.

COMPETING ARTISTS M/F IMBALANCE: Male – 31; female – seven!!

ALWAYS THERE, ALWAYS BRILLIANT: Our friend, Monsieur Loyal Calixte de Nigremont. Read our archive interview with him.

The 39th Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain was held at Cirque Phénix in Paris and ran from 1-4 Feburary 2018.

MAIN AWARD WINNERS:

Gold: Kong Haitao/Jinan Troupe

Silver: Barcode Company Tim Kriegler, straps Lukas and Aaron

Bronze Julius and César Vincent Bruyninckx, Cyr wheel Viivi R and Fragan G Duo Tristan and Eve Arata Urawa, diabolo

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Golshifteh Farahani From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Golshifteh Farahani Golshifteh Farahani Cannes 2018.jpg Farahani at the 39th César Awards, 2018 Born Rahavard Farahani 10 July 1983 (age 36) Tehran, Iran Alma mater Azad University Occupation Actressmusiciansinger Years active 1997–present Spouse(s) Amin Mahdavi (m. 2003; div. 2013) Christos Dorje Walker (m. 2015; div. 2017) Parent(s) Behzad Farahani Fahimeh Rahiminia Relatives Shaghayegh Farahani (sister

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Trailer: Renoir (2012) Language: French Subtitles: English

Director: Gilles Bourdos  Producer: Olivier Delbosc, Marc Missonnier Writer: Jacques Renoir  (Based on Le Tableau amoureux) Screenplay: Jérome Tonnerre, Michel Spinosa, Gilles Bourdos Cast: Michel Bouquet, Christa Theret, Vincent Rottiers, Thomas Doret Music: Alexandre Desplat Cinematography: Mark Lee Ping Bin Editor: Yannick Kergoat Distributor: Mars Distribution

Description: Renoir is a 2012 French drama film based on the last years of Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Painter) at Cagnes-sur-Mer during World War I. The film was directed by Gilles Bourdos. The film is set in the south of France during World War I and stars Michel Bouquet, Christa Theret, Thomas Doret and Vincent Rottiers. Renoir achieved critical and commercial success both in France and abroad, most notably in the United States where it is on the Critic's Pick list of The New York Times. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. In January 2014, the film received four nominations at the 39th César Awards, winning for Best Costume Design.

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Good luck to the team at the 39th César Awards!

Nominations:

Best Actress (Meilleure actrice) Léa Seydoux Most Promising Actress (Meilleur espoir féminin) Adèle Exarchopoulos Best Adapted Screenplay (Meilleure adaptation) Abdellatif Kechiche Ghalia Lacroix Best Sound (Meilleur son) Jérôme Chenevoy Fabien Pochet Jean-Paul Hurier Best Cinematography (Meilleure photo) Sofian El Fani Best Editing (Meilleur montage) Camille Toubkis Albertine Lastera Jean-Marie Lengelle Best Director (Meilleur réalisateur) Abdellatif Kechiche Best Film (Meilleur film) Abdellatif Kechiche (producer, director) Vincent Maraval (producer) Brahim Chioua (producer)

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The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet (2013, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

01/05/2024