Soeur Sombre

One of my passions is watching movies. 

In France, I have all the time in the world to watch movies. It is also a good way to become more familiar with international film and further train my ear in the French language. Discovering that I can get into the Rennes Gaumont theatre for €5.50 with my metro card, I have jumped on this opportunity.

But this afternoon, I realized something about my choices of films. They have all been depressing. Really depressing. 

Soeur Sourire

Don't be fooled by the cheery "Sound of Music-esque" photo, this whole movie was anything but one of my favorite things. A biopic of Soeur Sourire, or Sister Smile, this film fed on the irony of her stage name and the brief success she encountered in the 60s. Those who are familiar with Debbie Reynolds's interpretation of Jeanine Deckers in The Singing Nun, you would be devastated to find out how the real story ends.

Moral: Women are never really free... We are forever doomed if we don't get married and start a family or if we fail to carry out our vows in a nunnery.

Coco avant Chanel

"Coco before Chanel" with Audrey Tautou (or Amélie) is probably the least depressing out of the bunch, however there is still a sort of melancholy present. Although appearing rather menacing, Coco Chanel is a much more likable character than the aforementioned Soeur Sourire. You sympathize with her through all her grief and dejection. You rejoice when she eventually achieves her dream in high fashion. Yet even in the final scene, Coco's face still channels a history full of sadness.

Moral: Women can liberate themselves... With hard work and useful connections, we can be successful without getting married or going to a nunnery.

Welcome

No, I did not make a mistake during my Google image search...Welcome is the official French title. But for fun, "bienvenue" is the translation. Although the main story line may seem funny - a boy's obsession to learn how to swim so that he could cross the English Channel - this film approaches a variety of serious topics such as immigration, civil law, justice, and prejudice. From the very beginning there is a small flame of hope that things will turn out well, but in the end it gets extinguished and all is unwelcome.

Moral: No one is free... Prejudice is so prevalent that it is impossible to marry the one we love or even think about fleeing to a nunnery.

Je te mangerais

During "le printemps du cinéma" festival in late March, "I Would Eat You" was the only movie that was not sold out yet when we arrived at the theater. Judging from the poster and title alone, you are not wrong to deduce that it is very bizarre. However, you must not take the title too literally. The verb "manger" also denotes a sexual meaning. And that was exactly what this movie was about. It is an hour and a half of confused psychological frustration and tragedy, leaving you with anxiety and a developing mistrust in all of your close childhood friends.

Moral: Women have too much freedom... If we don't marry and have a family or join a nunnery, we will go insane and attack our lovers of both the same and opposite sex.

I must see something happy before I leave. Or I might get the wrong impression of today's French cinema.