Category Archives: French

2020, Action sequences, Attempted Murder, Beautiful Seaside Town, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Car Chase, Dancing, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Fantasy, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flashbacks, French, French Detectives, Happy ending, Holocaust Survivor, Identity Theft, Jazz, Jealousy, Love Story, Love Triangle, Magic Realism, MHz Choice, Murder, Murder Investigation, Music Theme, Must suspend disbelief, Paris in the 1960s, Physical fighting, Police Investigation, Revenge, Romance, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Wonderland (2020)

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From MHz Choice:

In this romantic fantasy-thriller, a man from the present travels back to 1960s Biarritz and meets a mysterious woman whose destiny is inexplicably linked with his own.

From MHz Choice  you can stream the 6 episodes of this French romance. Each episode runs between 48 and 56 minutes. French with English subtitles.

Do not be dissuaded by the “fantasy-thriller” label in the summary above.  Most importantly this story is a wonderful romance story imaginatively  filled with atmosphere, music, mystery, intrigue, revenge, and love.

Jeremy, an unambitious medical student and jazz afficionado, working in the nightclub called “Wonderland”,  somehow transports back to 1960s Biarritz and lands in the original Wonderland club.  Tony is the owner of the 1960s club and the father of the owner of the future club. Both owners are played by the same actor.  Jeremy wanders aimlessly to the beach where he saves the life of Chris’ sister.  Jeremy is superb at instantly manufacturing lies. Indeed he needs to. After all, who would believe his story? Jeremy invents a back story as he is “adopted” by the very wealthy and young Chis.  Staying at Chris’ estate is Alice whom Chris hopes to marry. One of Chris’s motives for marrying a beautiful woman  is to spite his father André whom he despises.

Needless to say Jeremy falls in love with Alice who is, in fact, the woman in the photo that captured Jeremy’s attention in the future Wonderland.  But Alice is hiding as many secrets as is Jeremy.  As Jeremy “stalks” Alice the plot thickens.  At this point I provide no more details.

If there is any romantic in your soul then DO NOT MISS!

2017, Abandoned child, Adopted child, Adultery, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Character Driven, Clever Plot, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, French, Grisly, Marital Infidelity, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Prison, Serial Killer, Suspense

La Mante (2017)

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From Netflix:

Faced with a series of grisly unsolved murders, a police commissioner turns to imprisoned serial killer Jeanne Deber and her estranged son for help.

From Netflix you can stream the only season of this French serial killer story.  Each of the 6 episodes lasts about an hour. French audio with English subtitles.

Jeanne Deber is an imprisoned serial killer.  Now someone who has studied her crimes is a copy cat who reproduces her murders in exact detail.  Damien Deber, her estranged son, has been enlisted to work with his mother to find the copy cat.  Possibly Jeanne’s intuitions will help the authorities.

Damien is a tortured soul (who always looks tortured)  whose personal relations are equally tortured.  More than just another serial killer series,  this highly inventive story centers around family, friends, and a past filled with secrets.  Jeanne Deber is a beautiful but stone-faced mystery woman.

Warning; the murders are very, very, very grisly. If you can get past those sights, then

DO NOT MISS!

2015, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Adopted child, Baby snatching, Based on a Book, Binge worthy, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Car Chase, Child Molestation, Complicated, Corny at times, Corrupt lawyers, Crime thriller, Detective, Flashbacks, French, French Detectives, Happy ending, Harlan Coben, Human trafficking, Illegal adoptions, Imperfect, Invincible Hero, Murder Investigation, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Pedophilia, Personal Betrayal, Pregnancy trafficking, Psychopath, Romance, Self-harm, Suspense, Undercover police work, Violent

No Second Chance (2015)

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From IMDB:

A doctor is shot in the back in her home, her husband is murdered and her infant daughter kidnapped. Faced with inept police, who at times suspect her, she begins her own hunt for her baby and the culprits.

From PBS Masterpiece (Passport) you can stream the 6 episodes of this Harlan Coben thriller which, oddly enough,  was made in France and has English subtitles.  Each episode lasts about an hour.

Harlan Coben was born in Newark, N.J.  If you like thrillers with lots of plot twists and have never read one of Coben’s many novels, you are in for a treat.

Having said that,  although I feverishly binged through the six episodes,  this presentation left a bit to be desired.  Do not be disenchanted by the first two episodes which contain too many swat teams for my taste. After these first two episodes my wife stopped watching, having decided that the series was ordinary and clichéd. But I persisted to the final sappy, happy ending.  Sadly, there were a lot of unfinished side threads.  For me, the book was better.

Nevertheless, a watchable rouge romp featuring a truly psychopathic villainess.

2021, Abandoned child, Action Hero, Adopted child, Art theft, Art Treasures, Clever Plot, Contract Killing, Corrupt policemen, Corruption, Detective, Disguise expert, Escape Artist, Father-son relations, Fist Fight, Frame someone for a crime, French, Mildly Violent, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Physical fighting, Police Corruption, Police Investigation, Police Politics, Problematic Ending, Revenge, Suspense

Lupin (2021)

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From IMDB:

Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.

From Netflix:

Years after a tragic injustice, Assane seeks to settle a score — and a debt — by stealing a diamond necklace, but the heist takes an unexpected turn.

From Netflix you can stream 5 episodes of this revenge drama. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.  French with English audio and subtitles.

Assane is given as a young child a book recounting the adventures of the daring escape artist Arsene Lupin.  In plotting the revenge for his father’s unjust prison death, Assane becomes a master of disguise and clever ruses.

WARNING:  Five great episodes do not finish the story.  Netflix calls the 5 episodes “Part 1” probably because the story just abruptly discontinues.

Good entertainment as far as it goes!?!

2018, Abuse of Women, Acceptable Trash, Addiction, Adultery, B-movie, Bad Acting, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Bullying, Conspiracy, Controlling personality, Corny, Corruption, Cult Brainwashing, Detective, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Eccentric cast of characters, Eccentric Detective, Emotional abuse, Ethical struggles, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Flashbacks, Frame someone for a crime, French, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Imperfect, Improbable details, Jealousy, Mental Illness, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Must suspend disbelief, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Often downright silly, Outrageous Behavior, Police Corruption, Prison, Problematic Ending, Psychiatrists, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Romance, Sex Offender, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Predator, Sometimes seems silly, Suspense, Troubled Personality, Unjust crime conviction, Violent

The Break (2018)

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From Netflix:

Soon after arriving in Heiderfeld, inspector Yoann Peeters is called to the scene of a suspected suicide and begins uncovering troubling details

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of Season 2 of this French (English subtitles) crime soap-opera.  Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.

SECOND REVIEW: Please note that there is already a review for Season 1 which is dated 2016.  To appreciate Season 2 you should first watch Season 1.  My review for Season 1 raves positively and might now be taken with a grain of salt.  It is still true that I was so taken with the plot, characters, and mystery that I once again binged on the series. However, this time let me be a bit more critical.

For adjectives describing this strange-fest consider: exaggerated, corny, repetitive, histrionic,  improbable, riddled with inconsistencies,  and ending in a questionable conclusion.  How’s that for damning with praise?

So what is so watch-worthy?  For one thing the cast consists of some of the more peculiar non-Hollywood characters I have ever seen.  All names hereafter are the character names because it is unlikely that any of the French and Dutch actors will be familiar.  Dany Bastin is the center of attention as the accused.  He is a skinny young man whose entire body is marked by a severe case of psoriasis.  When was the last time you saw an actor with truly repellent skin? He, his brother Christian, his brother’s wife Zoe, and his mother all seem to be underfed, sub-intelligent, unattractive, poverty-stricken  members of some lower order of humans.  Astrid du Tilleul is the wealthy, nasty, dissolute, drug addict murder victim. Her jealous sister Astrid and Astrid’s husband are the oddest looking pair of scheming and murderous morons to hit the screen.  Even dumber are some of the police officers.  At least one officer, Marjorie, is, however,  honest despite her physical unattractiveness.  Not so honest is her partner.

On and on and on goes the series. Yet somehow I was eagerly drawn to each episode (like a moth to a burning candle?)  If my description has not yet turned you away from this mess,  just have fun watching the exaggerated set of unlikely events.  You won’t know “who done it” until the very end.

2018, Adopted child, Cold Cases, Corny at times, Detective, Drama, French, French Detective Series, Jealousy, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nothing special, Police Investigation, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Les Secrets (2018)

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From IMDB:

Sarah and Alex are young, beautiful, they love each other, they own their lives. Until tragedy strikes. One morning, Alex’s body is found down a cliff. The investigation rules Alex’s death a suicide. Sarah’s life breaks down.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 3 episodes of this French mystery drama. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes. Subtitles in English.

Sarah and her young son Paul return to Alex’s hometown to try and understand why Alex Aguze seemingly committed suicide.  One by one Sarah interacts with Alex’s mother and his brothers, sisters, and in-laws. With each encounter she picks up pieces of the puzzle. At times she feels in conflict with a local detective whose role in the puzzle deepens as the plot develops.

Three episodes means  you don’t have to wait long for answers. Although the drama is at times corny and the plot is not perfect, still the story was compelling enough to keep us interested.

 

2018, Abandoned child, Abduction, Abortion, Adultery, Algerian-French relations, Binge worthy, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Controlling personality, Corny at times, Corruption, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Frame someone for a crime, French, French Culture, French Detective Series, Illegitimate Child, Jealousy, Journalist, Lesbian Theme, Made For TV, Male Chauvinism, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Occasionaly violent, Orphanage, Paris in the 1960s, Police Corruption, Police Politics, Political Intrigue, Romance, Suspense, Torture, TV Culture, Unhappy Marriage, Womanizing, Women's Equality

Speakerine (2018)

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From MHz Choice:

In 1960s Paris, TV announcer Christine Beauval crashes the glass ceiling and brings criminals to justice in a drama that’s part ‘Mad Men,’ part Agatha Christie.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 6 episodes of this French TV dramatic series.  Each episode lasts roughly 50 minutes.

Looking for a binge-worthy TV series with all the right elements: corruption, male chauvinism, OAS terrorists associated with the Algerian drive for independence, powerful Frenchmen taking sexual advantage of women ?   Look no further because this French TV soap opera has it all. Consider the cast of characters:

  • Christine Beauval must prevail against French male chauvinism in her fight to be accepted as a woman TV personality.
  • Pierre Beauval, her husband and boss, is a TV careerist executive opposing her all the way, as in “the women belong in the home and kitchen.”
  • Colette Beauval, her daughter, is being taken advantage of by Eric Jauffret, another bureaucratic wannabe.
  • Jean-Claude Beauval, her son, who becomes involved with the OAS terrorist group who tried to assassinate General Charles de  Gaulle.
  • Isabelle Auclair, a young woman using her charms to induce men to help her replace Christine.
  • And many. many corrupt politicians and executives loosely connected through sometimes fatal sex parties. (Are you interested now?)

Among these French actors, the only one I recognized was Grégory Fitoussi who plays Eric Jauffret.   He played a lead in Spiral, another French TV series.  If you haven’t already seen Spiral, run do not walk to Netflix.  You can find my review  in this web site.

Granted that “Speakerine” is an unabashed soap opera which at the very end is a bit over the top, but

DO NOT MISS!

 

2017, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Child Molestation, Family Conflict, French, French Detective Series, Gory, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Occasional gore, Pedophilia, Police Culture, Promiscuity, Revenge, Romance, Sex Scenes, Sexual promiscuity, Unusual, Violent

Deadly Seasons (2017)

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From Amazon Prime:

A mysterious Superintendent with a troubled past teams up with a young, reckless female inspector to solve a series of troubling murders.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 4 episodes of this French detective series. Each episode lasts a bit more than an hour and a half.  Spoken French with English subtitles.

No visual punches are pulled in these episodes: nudity, beheadings, headless naked bodies entwined and other delights.

What is even more of a novelty is that Mariella de Luca, the “young reckless female inspector,”  at night dons a disguise, including a silver wig, and has sex with male strangers she finds online.

Each episode features a separate crime,  while underlying all four episodes are two themes:

  • What happened to the missing adult son of Commissaire Rousseau,  Marielle’s boss?
  • Can Marielle ever find true love instead of being sexually promiscuous?

By the end of the last episode both questions are resolved.  And while getting to that end we can all enjoy a few visual shocks.

 

2018, Abduction, Basically Sad, Bullying, Father-son relations, Fist Fight, French, French Culture, Friendship, Gay theme, High school students, Homophobia, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Promiscuity, Unusual ending, Violent, Young Adult

I Am Jonas (2018)

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From IMDB:

Two moments of Jonas’s life intertwine, each reflecting the other: in 1995, when he was a secretive teenager, and 18 years later, as an attractive and impulsive thirty-something looking for balance in his life.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 22 minute French film with English subtitles.

Also from IMDB:

Boys (Jonas) is a mystery told in two separate timelines. In the first, it’s 1997 and Jonas is entering 9th grade. A new boy in school immediately catches his eye. Perhaps it’s the bad-boy scar on his cheek or his devil-may-care attitude, but Jonas is smitten. The two boys quickly become friends and before long are skipping class to kiss in an empty gymnasium. In the film’s other timeline, it’s 2015 and the excitement of a teenager in love has been replaced with the sorrow of a man who can’t escape the past. The adult version of Jonas (Félix Maritaud, outstanding in this year’s sexually graphic Sauvage and last year’s ImageOut favorite BPM) is a broken man. His boyfriend has thrown him out for cheating on him a few too many times, and he’s been arrested for getting into a fight at Boys, a local gay bar. There’s something about the bar that seems to set him off. He meanders through life still carrying that same old Game Boy, trying to fill a hole that can’t be filled. So what happened …

Curious as to why Netflix is strongly promoting this film, I decided to give it a try.  Turns out the film is a well-made story about two gay boys Jonas and his impulsive friend Nathan. There is no sex in the film except for a kiss or two.  While centered in Jonas’ adult life, the story proceeds by flashbacks.

Different, satisfying while inconclusive ending, and not at all a waste of time.

2013, Abduction, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, British, Detective, Explicit sex, Family Conflict, French, French Detective Series, Grim, Grisly, Journalist, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Nudity, Police Culture, Psychopath, Suspense, Violent

The Tunnel (2013)

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From IMDB:

The Tunnel is set against the backdrop of Europe in crisis. When a prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the U.K. and France, detectives Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane, “Game of Thrones”) and Elise Wassermann (Clémence Poésy, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II”) are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries. The case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership. As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, Karl and Elise are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.

From Amazon Prime you can download the 10 episodes, each episode lasting about 45 minutes.  Both French and English are spoken.

Be prepared for a somewhat grim story in which the psychopathic “Truth Terrorist” enacts a series of wrenching murders. For example, the story starts when the French and British detectives meet inside the channel tunnel at the exact half point which is the dividing line between Britain and France. Lying on that midpoint are two body halves (each from a different person) joined to look like one person. This should give you an idea of how grisly the plot becomes.

If you can put that gore behind you, you might enjoy the personal crux of the story: Elise, the French half of the team, suffers from an extreme case of Asperger’s Syndrome. She just does not understand human emotions, or as we might put it, she is just plain clueless. However both she and the British detective Karl are equally obsessively dedicated and very smart detectives.  Between them the interaction is entertaining.

And yes, there is quite a bit of sex, meaningless and otherwise.

If you can stand the harsh crimes, the suspenseful story is a good watch.