Salut mes amis, (Hello my friends)
J’espère que vous allez bien! (I hope you are well)! 😊
I remember the first time I watched a French movie. It was actually an English movie but subtitled and spoken in French, Alice in Wonderland. It took me back to my childhood and I felt like I had been submerged into a whole new world. Johnny Depp is a fantastic actor and seeing that he was cast for this movie, I knew I had to see it. So there I was at the cinema in Paris, thinking I had opted for the English version and so happy to see it. I get in, search for my seat, settle in nicely with my popcorn and peach fruit drink, and find out it’s all in French! Man, that incident was fantastic. I barely understood a word of what was said and I grappled with trying to read and simultaneously search my dictionary but it was an eye-opening experience. It pushed me to want to learn the French language even more than I had anticipated. As the weekend draws closer, and you find yourself in the mood for fantastic movies, I’m here to help you with a list of great French movies. You might even hear some of the phrases we discussed that are useful when visiting francophone countries! So get yourself a nice beverage or snack that you like (I’m going to have pecan butter ice-cream which is a quasi-beverage to me 😁) and try out any of the movies below!
En Français – Je Ne Suis Pas Un Homme facile par Eleonore Pourriat
In English – I Am Not An Easy Man by Eleonore Pourriat
This movie came out in 2018 but I only just watched it in March. I loved it! It shines a light on a parallel universe where men are less masculine and women are more dominating. Women court men, they do not get maternity leave, they are CEO’s and they are in no hurry to get married. Men are ballet dancers, constantly receiving designer items, money and jewelry, wearing skimpy shorts and have to wax frequently. It depicts what could have been in a world where gender roles are swapped and women assume the role of men. It is hilarious and a must-watch for everyone and hopefully one or two things are learned from the movie.
En Français – Le Petit Nicholas par Laurent Tirard
In English – Little Nicholas by Laurent Tirard
This movie follows the story of a small boy who was an only child and got away with most things. He suddenly becomes very naughty when hearing that his friend who had a baby brother was very unhappy about the latest addition to his family. Afraid the same fate might befall him; he tries to do everything in his power to remain an only child. This movie teaches us not to run away from things we do not understand, jump to conclusions and have high expectations.
En Français – Kirikou et La Sorcière par Michel Ocelot
In English – Kirikou and The Sorceress by Michel Ocelot
This movie unravels the journey of Kirikou as he embarks on a quest to rid his village from the grasp of the witch, Karaba. Once he was born, he immediately started to speak, walk, and even named himself. His mother tells him about a wicked witch who had turned the village into an arid land without water and eaten all the men in the village except her brother. His grandfather also tells him the reason why she is evil to which Kirikou then sets out to remedy. He succeeds at this and the witch kisses him with gratitude and he suddenly transforms into a full-sized man! Immediately, all the men she had ‘eaten’ are released from her spell and suddenly return to the village. The movie teaches us that fear is in the mind and with patience, smart work, and determination we can succeed.
En Français – Il a Déjà Tes Yeux par Lucien Jean-Baptiste
In English – He Even Has Your Eyes by Lucien Jean-Baptiste
Paul and Sali are an African French couple unable to bear children. They had been on the waiting list for adoption and after a while, they finally get a call from the agency. However, they are in for a surprise when they realize their child is Caucasian and called Benjamin! This movie made me bawl. It was not overly romantic but really funny and depicts how African cultures and traditions deal with situations that are foreign to family units.
En Français – Bienvenue à Marly-Gormont par Julien Rambaldi
In English – The African Doctor by Julien Rambaldi
This film is about a young man who recently graduated from medical school and instead of returning to his home country, decides to stay back in France. He relocates his family to the town he has been deployed to practice with the hopes of giving them a superb life. Shockingly the town had never seen black people and was quite unwelcoming. This is an astounding movie with numerous hilarious and ‘aha’ moments (especially from the wife), relatable scenes.
So tell me, have you seen any of these movies? If yes, what did you think? Also, you can drop movie recommendations as well. I’d be delighted to snuggle up with a good French movie over the weekend and a nice jug of cranberry juice. I’d love to hear back from you in the comment section.
Jusqu’à la prochaine fois ! Until next time !
Nice collections.
Salut Damilola! I hope you enjoy watching them. Thank you so much for stopping by.😊
Nice list, I have seen Il a Déjà Tes Yeux. They are still fast for me to catch up.
Salut Adeola! Nice to see that you’ve watched ‘Il a Déjà Tes Yeux’! Did you enjoy it? Why not try and make the audio slower? I switch up the settings sometimes which lets the actors speak slower. It helped me immensely. I hope that helps. Please let me know. Thank you so much for stopping by! 😊
This is a really cool collection of movies! I saw Kirokou back in secondary school, during an excursion to French Village. Can’t remember much of it though lol. I should definitely see again.
Also, it’s nice to know that ‘I am not an easy man’ is on Netflix. Thanks for the recommendation and well done girl!
Salut Rejoice!
I’m happy you like them! Kirikou is such a great movie. You can check Netflix for it. Never heard of ‘I Am Not An Easy Man’ until March 2020! Another hilarious movie. You’re welcome and thank you so much for stopping by! 🤗
Really enjoyed this post. Much thanks again. Want more. Katerina Bruis Anthony