Last Updated on June 28, 2023, 10:55 AM | Published: June 28, 2023
Outside of the Hollywood blockbuster system (which is gearing up for its first mega-summer in years), there’s probably no single filmmaking world as specific or identifiable as that of French cinema.
Even as worldwide, encompassing catch-alls like “world film” and “Euro cinema” have gained prominence, the products of French filmmaking have remained in a category and classification all their own, often with an understood tone or attitude, and particularly franco-centric perspective not only of the world but of human emotion.
Since the great early innovator Georges Méliès first blew minds over 100 years ago, there’s been a steady stream of French film giants each offering their own unique layers of expression, sometimes stark and blunt, sometimes surreal or vibrant, but always unmistakably “French.”
Each year, the Sam Noble Theater at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art goes all-in on French cinema for a full month with “French Film in July,” dedicating four entire weeks to the nation’s unassailable filmmaking prowess and history.
In addition to the robust selection of recent French buzz-makers, this year’s installment of the persistently successful annual program is set to feature to a month-long retrospective of classics from one of France’s movie masters.
“Full Time” – Friday, July 7th
A big winner at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, with accolades for writer/director Éric Gravel and lead actress Laure Calamy, this story of a working-class single mother navigating Paris amidst a transit strike is especially relevant right now, as labor tensions continue boiling over worldwide.
“The Five Devils” – Saturday, July 8th & Sunday, July 9th
Playing with the classically French elements of dark fantasy and strange sexual tension, “The Five Devils” concerns a young girl with a supernatural sense of smell and the unexpected ways that her power unravels her family psychologically. From rising star director Léa Mysius and starring “Blue is the Warmest Color” breakout Adèle Exarchopoulos, this charged, challenging film uses the beautiful and serene backdrop of the French Alps to contrast the ugly and violent descent of its characters.
“Other People’s Children” – Saturday, July 8th & Sunday, July 9th
Award-winning writer/director Rebecca Zlotowski presents this intimate, realistically human story of a middle-aged teacher falling for a single father and the complications arising from her increasing closeness to his young daughter. It’s a remarkably relatable and simple premise that is rarely explored so directly on film.
“Scarlet” – Saturday, July 8th & Sunday, July 9th
Combining post-WWI period drama, heightened, emotional romance, and even musical fantasy, 2022’s “Scarlet,” from director Pietro Marcello, is a rare, effortlessly cross-genre fable. Young Juliette, daughter of a war veteran and a deceased mother, is given a prophecy by a local witch that sets her on a path of imagination and headstrong freedom through adolescence.
“The Innocent” – Friday, July 14th & Saturday, July 15th
Written by, directed by, and starring controversial French megastar Louis Garrel, this comedic crime-caper follows a man spying on his mother’s newly reformed criminal husband and the downward spiral of crime and mischief the two men find themselves falling into.
“The Passengers of the Night” – Friday, July 14th & Saturday, July 15th
Set against the once wide-eyed backdrop of 1980s Paris, director Mikhaël Hers’ “The Passengers of the Night” tells the seven-year story of a newly single mother’s struggle to raise two young children while working nights at a radio station. Starring the always impeccable and fearless Charlotte Gainsbourg, Hers’ film intercuts elements of documentary and period drama to capture the raw human experience in that transformative decade.
“Revoir Paris” – Saturday, July 15th & Sunday, July 16th
Perhaps the most tragically and frustratingly timely of all the films in this lineup, director Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris” (or “Paris Memories”) follows a mass shooting at a popular Parisian restaurant and the attempts of one survivor to piece together her memories of the night and confront her lasting trauma. Star Virginie Efira (who also leads “Other People’s Children”) took home the award for Best Actress at the 2023 César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars.
“The Worst Ones” – Sunday, July 16th
From director duo Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, this comedic drama tackles modern-day class struggles, fame chasing, and discrimination all head-on as a fictional film production makes the controversial decision to cast its child actors exclusively from the local low-income housing project. Predictable uproar follows, as slighted residents can’t believe that anyone would take a chance on the poor children.
François Truffaut’s “The Adventures of Antoine Doinel” Series – All Month Long
Throughout the full “French Film in July” slate, OKCMOA will be presenting the complete collection of French New Wave legend François Truffaut’s “Adventures of Antoine Doinel” series, chronicling the fictional life of Doinel from teenage childhood in the 1950s into the tumult of adulthood and the watershed of the 70s.
Beginning with 1959’s semi-autobiographical landmark classic, “The 400 Blows,” Truffaut’s continuing adventures of his fictional counterpart Doinel stretch through three other full-length offerings and an integral short.
Each film will be presented on the Sam Noble Theater screen in a stunning new 4K restoration, meaning this will be the perfect opportunity for any newcomer to the New Wave master’s work to jump in, and for any diehard to revisit this collection of French favorites.
- “The 400 Blows” – Thursday, July 6th
- “Antoine and Colette” & “Stolen Kisses” – Thursday, July 13th
- “Bed and Board” – Thursday, July 20th
- “Love on the Run” – Thursday, July 27th
These four features and one short combined create an unprecedented cinematic journey through life, love, and decades in a way that arguably only the unique silver screen language of French film can.
For showtimes, tickets, and more information about all of these films, visit okcmoa.com.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
