The Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) 2023 Capsule Reviews of Select Films

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Category: Cinéma - Movies

Published: Tuesday, 04 July 2023 02:47

Written by Gilbert Seah

ICFF 2023

The Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) 2023 takes place from June 27 to July 21 2023 at the historical Distillery District incToronto. 

The best of Italian cinema a\will be on display.  For more details and date of the films and program, please check the ICFF website at iff.ca

Capsule Reviews of Select Films:

THE FIRST DAY OF MY LIFE (El Primo Giorno della Mia Vita)(Italy 2023) **

Directed by Paolo Genovese

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Film Review: Mon Crime (The Crime is Mine)

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Category: Cinéma - Movies

Published: Thursday, 15 June 2023 23:43

Written by Gilbert Seah

MON CRIME (The Crime is Mine )(France 2022) ***½

Directed by Francois Ozon

In the 1930s, a young struggling actress becomes famous after being accused of the murder of a producer that the audience is led to believe she did not commit.  Or maybe she did actually commit the murder.  The truth comes out at the film’s half mark.

Everyone loves a good play about murder.  THE CRIME IS MINE or MON CRIME is adapted from the Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil’s 1923 French theatre play.  The play survives the test of time and director Ozone (my personal favourites SITCOM, LES AMANTS CRIMINELS) ensures one is constantly watching a film based on one as the film is stagey, but in a good way.

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Film Review: Mascarade (Masquerade)

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Category: Cinéma - Movies

Published: Thursday, 29 June 2023 22:47

Written by Gilbert Seah

MASCARADE (MASQUERADE) France 2022) **

Directed by Nicolas Bedos

MASCARADE is a 2022 French comedy-drama film written and directed by Nicolas Bedos. The film premiered and was screened out of competition at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

There are two references to Somerset Maugham at the start of the deliciously wicked film MASCARADE (French spelling for Masquerade).  The film opens with his quote: “The French Riviera is a sunny place for shady people.”  The French Riviera or Le Cote D’Azur is the setting of the film’s story.  The second reference is one of the film’s gay characters (Maugham is himself a gay writer) buying one of the villas owned by Maugham and is unable to keep up with the property expenses.

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Film Review: Les Enfants de les Autres

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Category: Cinéma - Movies

Published: Tuesday, 13 June 2023 08:06

Written by Gilbert Seah

OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN (LES ENFANTS DE LES AUTRES) (France 2022) **

Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski

Virginie Efira stars as a teacher whose new relationship with a single father becomes complicated when she begins to connect with his young daughter, Lelia, in this romantic drama. For Rachel (Virginia Efira), each moment with her new boyfriend, Ali (Roschdy Zem), is pure bliss.  They share everything, including his precious four-year-old daughter Leïla (Callie Ferreira-Goncalves).  The situation is precarious: the more time Rachel spends with Leïla, the more she cannot help but feel like a mother to the child.  But Leïla already has a mother, Alice (Chiara Mastroianni) .  Rachel also has a younger sister who is pregnant.  Rachel wants a child of her own but her biological clock is running out.  

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