“Breathe (Respire)” Review (****)

Lou de Laâge and Joséphine Japy star in "Breathe (Respire)."

While watching “Breathe,” I was filled—simultaneously—with a sort of nostalgia and also a heavy, poignant sense of dread. The film circles, almost in a dizzying way, around the intimate friendship between two teenage girls: Charlie (Joséphine Japy) and Sarah (Lou de Laâge). And their whole relationship is so… romantic. Not in a sexual sense (strictly), nothing truly romantic happens between them, but their ideas and impressions and beliefs about one another (and the world) are so idealized and hyperbolic and wonderfully naïve. It’s a lovely thing to be young and beautiful and confident of your place within the world…until it isn’t.

AJFF Review: "24 Days" (**½)

Zabou Breitman stars as Ruth Halimi in "24 Days"

Had I read anything about "24 Days" before pressing play, I might have avoided the ignorance I'll now spare you: it's a true story. On January 21, 2006, Ilan Halimi was kidnapped for ransom in Paris, France. His captors equated Jewish heritage with wealth, assuming the ransom would be easy to secure. But the Halimis, a secretary and a shop owner, are not rich, and the unsuccessful negotiations spanned—you guessed it—twenty-four days. By the time Ilan was released, he had been starved, tortured, burned, and beaten, his survival still at stake. In "24 Days," Director Alexandre Arcady adapts the book Ilan's mother cowrote about her family's experience with the French police as they led an investigation blind to anti-Semitism.

Review: "Two Days, One Night" (****½)

Fabrizio Rongione and Marion Cotillard star in "Two Days, One Night"

It was just two years ago at the Savannah Film Festival that I was floored by the power and emotional magnetism of both the film "Rust and Bone" and its lead performers, Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts. I was a fan of Cotillard before that (going back to when I saw her in "La Vie en Rose" at the 2007 Atlanta Film Festival, the first time I attended any film festival) and I've become an even bigger Cotillard fan since. Naturally, when I saw that the Dardenne Brothers' film "Two Days, One Night" was playing at the Savannah Film Festival, I had a new top reason to attend.

I admit to not being familiar with the Dardenne Brothers' back catalog. I know they have won the Palm D'or twice and were highly buzzed to win it last year with "Two Days, One Night." I know what films they have made, I just haven't seen them. I went into this film with "Rust and Bone" on my mind and expectations of another masterful performance from one of the best actors of our time. The only thing both films share is an actress, and those expectations were exceeded beyond measure.

Savannah: "Amour" (****½)

Emmanuelle Riva stars in "Amour"

Having worked in film and television for over four decades, Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke only really began to solidify his status as a force in modern cinema in 2001, when "The Piano Teacher" won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Without discounting his early efforts, Haneke has given us some of the most subtly beautiful and unsettling films of the last decade. Cannes showed him some love again in 2005, awarding him the Best Director Award for "Cache." He went on to take the Palme d'Or in both 2009 for "The White Ribbon" and in 2012 for "Amour."

Savannah: "Rust and Bone" (*****)

Marion Cotillard stars in "Rust & Bone"

With films like "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" and "A Prophet" under his belt, Jacques Audiard has climbed to the top of the heap. In my eyes, his latest effort has cemented his status as the best French filmmaker currently on the scene. "Rust and Bone" is at once both a whisper and a shout; a visceral and violent study on the bonds between physical and emotional damage. Marion Cotillard, who has already proven her power many times over, gives us yet another tremendous performance. While he's not as famous a face or name, Cotillard's co-star, Matthias Schoenaerts, is himself a roaring tempest worthy of equal acclaim.

AJFF Review bundle: "Free Men" (***1/2), "Restoration" (****1/2), "2 Night" (***)

Tahar Rahim and Louna Klanit star in "Free Men"

"Free Men" possesses both the same star, Tahar Rahim, and the same firm atmosphere as Jacques Audiard's 2009 film "A Prophet," but little else. Beautifully set and shot, the film only really suffers from too little in terms of subplot. With a little more editing and some of the fat trimmed, this wouldn't have been much of a problem, as the story and the actors are well worth your time. Rahim and Michael Lonsdale, who was one of my favorite parts about Steven Spielberg's magnificent "Munich," are exceptional. 3.5 out of 5 stars.


"Restoration" and "2 Night" after the jump.

AJFF: "The Day I Saw Your Heart" (****)

Melanie Laurent stars in "The Day I Saw Your Heart"

I should start my review of "The Day I Saw Your Heart" with a warning: Do not watch this film, unless you are prepared to fall in love, or more deeply in love, with Mélanie Laurent. The stunning French ingenue is as captivating here as she was in "Inglourious Basterds" and even more charming than we saw her in "Paris" and "Beginners." Without discounting the rest of the cast, the movie truly belongs to Laurent's Justine.

Expecting an airy romantic comedy, I was caught by surprise with how dense and thoughtful this film was. Director Jennifer Devoldère packs "The Day I Saw Your Heart" full of details, both in subplot and character intricacies, elevating the story above what it would have been otherwise.