Films at the cinema this week: should you see or avoid Suddenly, The End of Oak Street and A Big Shortcut?

Suddenly – We can see

Drame de Ryūsuke Hamaguchi – 3 h 15

Their names are Marie-Lou and Mari, and their friendship will increase over a very short period. The first is the director of a nursing home near Paris, the second is a Japanese director who came to present her latest play in the French capital. They meet at the theater, the flow passes. Each finds in the other an ear and a shoulder. It must be said that problems do not spare them. Marie-Lou tries to forcefully implement the precepts of Humanitude within her establishment. Between a watchful financial management, skeptical colleagues and dependent residents, she is close to burnout. The appearance of Mari in his life acts as a revealer. The Japanese woman tells her that she has incurable cancer without losing her smile and a form of gentleness that pierces the shell of her new friend.

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The accuracy of the two actresses was rewarded with a joint acting prize at the last Cannes Film Festival. Each in their role, they never deviate even when Virginie Efira speaks in Japanese. But their involvement and their consistency do not succeed in erasing the messy side of the film and preventing its subject from being diluted in a form of New Age bliss. F. D.

The note of Figaro : 2,5/4

Also read

Our review of Suddenly: An Ocean of Utopia

A Turkish affair – We can see

Hüseyin Aydin Gürsoy in Thriller – 1 h 32

Mathieu moved away from his Turkish community to climb the social ladder. A determined lawyer, he Frenchified his first name and worked hard to become a partner in an influential Parisian business firm. When a young Turkish Uber driver, molested by his passenger, asks for his help, Mathieu reluctantly accepts to please his sister. He has no idea that this matter is much more delicate than it appears and could cause him to deviate from his flawless ascent. Pragmatism and values ​​do not mix well in this intimate thriller which confronts a man with his unsaid things and brings him back to an identity that he had repressed. An interesting study of violence and its internalization, this game of mirrors is less convincing in its political dimension. But A Turkish affair brings to the forefront a brilliant performer: Lionel Erdogan. “Mathew’s behavior, his difficulties in communicating with his parents echo my childhood and the modest education I received. I wanted to find things with looks, to make these silences exist more than certain words”confided to Figaro the actor, discovered in the series Gears. As the hero’s lucid and cynical boss and mentor, Charles Berling brings a dangerous intensity to their scenes. C.J.

The note of Figaro : 2/4

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A great shortcut – We can see

Comedy by Clément Devilliers and Armand Foëx – 1 h 21

Rural films are on the rise. After Twenty Gods, Junkyard dog et The Pampa for fiction, A summer on the farm et Gabin for the documentary, here A great shortcut. No farm here, but a family restaurant in the center of Brittany which is less and less busy. Its owner (Olivier Rabourdin) is tired, even if he is helped by his nephew Grégoire (François Le Bris). His son Corentin (Jules Porier) sees rodent control as a good way to make money. The two cousins ​​will use not very honest methods to launch this business. At the same time, the film by Clément Devilliers and Armand Foëx, two resourceful young 22-year-old directors, follows the journey of two young girls who tamper with a local miss competition to sell their jewelry.

If the story woven around the boys slips very quickly, that of the girls is better developed. But very quickly, it appears that the scenario would have benefited from focusing on a single duo. The whole thing gives the sensation of a collection of sketches for which the directors have thought of a punchline each time. But those who dream of themselves as Toledano and Nakache will have to hone their humor better next time. The seed of filmmakers is there, it remains to germinate it. F. V.

The note of Figaro : 2/4

Also read

They are 22 years old and take A big shortcut: the crazy story of two very young directors

The End of Oak Street – To avoid

Action by David Robert Mitchell – 1 h 40

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In the peaceful America of the early 1980s, the residents of Oak Street are all about their block party: barbecues, shopping trips. They barely notice a monumental turd and the accelerated growth of strange trees, which have disappeared for millions of years. However, these are the beginnings of a mysterious cosmic event that teleports Oak Street into prehistory! The Platt family wakes up, without electricity or running water. From outside they hear grunts, gunshots and cries for help. Through the windows, they see dinosaurs prowling the lawns, looking for food. Impossible to escape. From then on, we must stick together to survive.

Full of inconsistencies and false connections (a broken leg quickly healed, a time loop with a good back), The End of Oak Street is not serious and does not try to take himself seriously. A UFO to be reserved for unconditional and indulgent dinosaur fans, wishing to devote an hour and forty hours to it. C.J.

The note of Figaro : 1,5/4

Also read

Our review of The End of Oak Street: Honey, dinosaurs have invaded the neighborhood!