This Weekend: Gallic Alternatives in Downtown

Le Fils (The Son), 2002. Written and directed by the Dardenne brothers. Starring Olivier Gourmet and Morgan Marinne. Showing Friday night at 7pm.

and for the children:

Les Contes de la Rue Broca. Directed by Pierre Gripari. Showing Sunday afternoon at 2pm.

Both films are being shown downtown at the Alliance Francaise de Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Sick of the Oscars? By now we’ve had nearly a month of ‘controversies’, a month of wandering past those bright yellow Little Miss Sunshine boxes at the video store, of hearing the film pundits bark about Dreamgirls. Yeah, you could go and see The Departed or Babel if you really want to, or you could see a movie downtown. And not at Block E. No, you could visit the Alliance Francaise in the heart of the lovely warehouse district, where you can catch, this Friday, the Dardenne Brothers’ Le Fils. You could even enjoy the snow they predict will be falling, as you wander out of some fancy restaurant and walk through the romance to the Alliance. In fact, you ought to get some romantic mileage just saying “Alliance Francaise” over dinner–it just sounds sweet, doesn’t it?

I do have to say, however, that Le Fils is not exactly an upbeat movie. But it is beautiful, a simple and yet compelling treatise on forgiveness. A week after Valentines Day, maybe you’re back to fighting and need some of that. Le Fils is the story of a broken man, Olivier, a shop teacher at a school for wayward boys, who becomes obsessed about one of his charges. That is all you will get from me, for the story unfolds patiently, and when it reveals its secrets, it is devastating.

More importantly, though, is the Alliance’s Sunday children’s show. It appears that the AF is going to screen children’s features, aimed at the very young (under 7, please), the last Sunday of every month, at least through April. I say ‘most importantly’ because alternative children’s films are scarce. Kids have it rough: where adults can take in Norbit or highbrow fare like Volver, what do kids have? Nothing but third-rate cartoons and CGI on the big screen.

In fact, I would argue that Le Fils would be good fare for the wayward teen. A great night out even if they aren’t wayward. But I digress…

Frankly, I couldn’t find much on Les Contes de la Rue Broca, except that it seems to be based on a popular French storybook about North African immigrants. The film will be in French (of course) without subtitles. So it looks to be not only a great afternoon treat for your kids in French immersion classes, but a really nifty story about a side of Paris we might not have ever thought about. Which is just what you want from a kids film!

Both features will have light refreshments (popcorn, pop, water–no wine, as this is Minneapolis, not Cannes), and a suggested donation of $5. For directions, visit the Alliance Francaise website.