France 24’s Arts 24 program recently highlighted a selection of compelling French cinematic releases, blending contemporary tension with classic nostalgia. Host Charlotte Lam was joined by Manon Kerjean of Lost in Frenchlation to examine four films ranging from psychological dramas to horror.
The discussion opened with Léa Mysius’s claustrophobic thriller The Birthday Party (Histoires de la nuit). Based on a novel by Laurent Mauvignier, the film features an ensemble cast including Hafsia Herzi, Benoît Magimel, Bastien Bouillon, and Monica Bellucci. The plot centers on a family’s birthday celebration at a secluded farmhouse that descends into nightmare when three uninvited guests arrive.
Shifting genres, Géraldine Nakache’s Think Good (Si tu penses bien) marks a stark departure from the director’s earlier comedic works. Starring Monia Chokri and Niels Schneider, the movie chronicles six years of a couple’s relationship, illustrating how a seemingly idyllic partnership deteriorates into one defined by control and manipulation. The narrative serves as an exploration of coercive control and the subtle indicators of abuse.
Also featured was Jeanne Herry’s Garance, starring Adèle Exarchopoulos. The film traces eight years in the life of a young woman whose alcoholism progressively undermines her career, relationships, and daily existence. Herry’s direction avoids the trope of an abrupt downfall, instead depicting addiction’s slow, often invisible encroachment, supported by Exarchopoulos’s intense physical performance.
Concluding the lineup was a return to cinematic history with Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast. The iconic French classic is seeing a theatrical re-release thanks to a new 4K restoration. This update allows audiences to appreciate the film’s distinctive sets, costumes, makeup, and Jean Marais’s legendary transformation into the Beast with renewed clarity.
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