Spotlight: Literary Adaptations: Contemporary
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(Le scaphandre et le papillon)
The true story of a man who suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body except for his left eye.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2007
- Director Julian Schnabel
- Cast Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais, Niels Arestrup
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Hoopla
Breathe
(Respire)
17-year-old girl Charlie is thrilled when she becomes friends with Sarah, but their relationship takes an ominous turn.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2014
- Director Mélanie Laurent
- Cast Joséphine Japy, Lou de Laâge, Isabelle Carré, Roxane Duran, Claire Keim, Radivoje Bukvić
- Genre Drama
- Available on Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, FlixFling, Tubi TV, Freevee, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Blue Is the Warmest Color
(La Vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2)
Adèle's life changes completely when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium, Spain • 2013
- Director Abdellatif Kechiche
- Cast Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée, Benjamin Siksou
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on MUBI, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
Heal the Living
(Réparer les vivants)
One moment leads to another, one life leads to the next
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2016
- Director Katell Quillévéré
- Cast Anne Dorval, Tahar Rahim, Emmanuelle Seigner, Kool Shen, Alice Taglioni
- Genre Drama
- Available on Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Mademoiselle Chambon
Veronique and Jean develop an unexpected bond that causes them to question the direction of their lives.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2009
- Director Stéphane Brizé
- Cast Aure Atika, Vincent Lindon, Sandrine Kiberlain, Jean-Marc Thibault, Bruno Lochet, Abdellah Moundy
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
Spotlight: Strange World
The Wild Boys
(Les garçons sauvages)
Five children on the island of La Réunion commit a savage crime. As punishment, a sea captain takes them to a supernatural island.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2018
- Director Bertrand Mandico
- Cast Pauline Lorillard, Vimala Pons, Diane Rouxel, Anaël Snoek, Mathilde Warnier, Sam Louwyck
- Genre Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Drama
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Here TV, Dekkoo, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
The Scapegoat
(Au bonheur des ogres)
Benjamin Malaussene, a professional scapegoat, works in customer service as a verbal punching bag for his boss and angry clients alike.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2013
- Director Nicolas Bary
- Cast Raphaël Personnaz, Bérénice Bejo, Emir Kusturica, Mélanie Bernier, Guillaume de Tonquédec, Thierry Neuvic
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV
Delicatessen
A futuristic comic feast.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1991
- Director Marc Caro
- Cast Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Karin Viard, Ticky Holgado, Pascal Benezech
- Genre Comedy, Science Fiction, Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Hoopla
Reality
(Réalité)
An aspiring director is given 48 hours by a producer to record an Oscar-worthy groan of pain.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium, United States • 2014
- Director Quentin Dupieux
- Cast Alain Chabat, Jonathan Lambert, Élodie Bouchez, Kyla Kenedy, Eric Wareheim
- Genre Comedy
- Available on AMC+ Amazon Channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Holy Motors
A day in the life of an actor who has many appointments. But no audience.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany • 2012
- Director Leos Carax
- Cast Denis Lavant, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue, Michel Piccoli, Edith Scob, Big John
- Genre Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Spotlight: À la plage
Cycling with Molière
(Alceste à bicyclette)
Life imitates art in "The Misanthrope"
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2013
- Director Philippe Le Guay
- Cast Fabrice Luchini, Lambert Wilson, Maya Sansa, Camille Japy, Ged Marlon, Stéphan Wojtowicz
- Genre Drama, Comedy
- Available on Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Hoopla
Louise by the Shore
(Louise en hiver)
Louise must survive winter all alone in a seaside resort town.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada, Belgium • 2016
- Director Jean-François Laguionie
- Cast Dominique Frot, Jean-François Laguionie, Diane Dassigny, Tom Anthony
- Genre Animation
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Pauline at the Beach
(Pauline à la plage)
It was supposed to be a normal holiday...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1983
- Director Éric Rohmer
- Cast Amanda Langlet, Arielle Dombasle, Pascal Greggory, Féodor Atkine, Simon de La Brosse, Rosette
- Genre Romance, Comedy, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Hotel America
(Hôtel des Amériques)
A mismatched love triangle in Biarritz
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1981
- Director André Téchiné
- Cast Catherine Deneuve, Patrick Dewaere, Etienne Chicot, Sabine Haudepin, Dominique Lavanant, Josiane Balasko
- Genre Romance, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
The Beaches of Agnès
(Les Plages d'Agnès)
Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda turns the camera on herself.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2008
- Director Agnès Varda
- Cast Agnès Varda, André Lubrano, Blaise Fournier, Vincent Fournier, Rosalie Varda, Mathieu Demy
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel, DocAlliance Films, Kanopy
Spotlight: French Thrillers
Elle
A businesswoman decides not to report her assault by a masked intruder due to her past experience with police.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany, Belgium • 2016
- Director Paul Verhoeven
- Cast Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling, Virginie Efira, Judith Magre
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
In the House
(Dans la maison)
There's always a way in.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2012
- Director François Ozon
- Cast Fabrice Luchini, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ernst Umhauer, Emmanuelle Seigner, Bastien Ughetto, Denis Ménochet
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Point Blank
(À bout portant)
A desperate man is a dangerous thing.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2010
- Director Fred Cavayé
- Cast Gérard Lanvin, Roschdy Zem, Elena Anaya, Gilles Lellouche, Mireille Perrier, Claire Pérot
- Genre Action, Thriller, Crime
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, FlixFling, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Freevee, DistroTV, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Tell No One
(Ne le dis à personne)
Eight years ago, Alex's wife was murdered. Today, she emailed him with one simple message: "Tell no one."
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2006
- Director Guillaume Canet
- Cast François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, Kristin Scott Thomas, François Berléand, André Dussollier, Marina Hands
- Genre Drama, Thriller, Crime, Mystery
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, Fandor Amazon Channel, MUBI Amazon Channel, fuboTV, MZ Choice Amazon Channel, OVID, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Crackle, Tubi TV, VUDU Free, Freevee, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Caché
All the moments they thought nobody was watching, caught on tape.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Austria, Germany • 2005
- Director Michael Haneke
- Cast Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Annie Girardot, Bernard Le Coq, Daniel Duval, Maurice Bénichou
- Genre Mystery, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Spotlight: Crazy Love
Three Colors: White
(Trois couleurs : Blanc)
After his wife divorces him and frames him for arson, a Polish expatriate plots his revenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Switzerland, France, Poland • 1994
- Director Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Cast Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, Jerzy Stuhr, Aleksander Bardini, Grzegorz Warchoł
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Mauvais Sang
A love that burns quickly but lasts forever.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Switzerland • 1986
- Director Leos Carax
- Cast Juliette Binoche, Denis Lavant, Michel Piccoli, Hans Meyer, Julie Delpy, Carroll Brooks
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Hoopla
Série noire
A salesman falls in love with a teenager who he tries to rescue by way of murder.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1979
- Director Alain Corneau
- Cast Patrick Dewaere, Bernard Blier, Marie Trintignant, Myriam Boyer, Jeanne Herviale, Andreas Katsulas
- Genre Drama, Crime
- Available on Fandango At Home, Kanopy
Mélo
Pierre is in love with his wife. So is his best friend.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1986
- Director Alain Resnais
- Cast Sabine Azéma, Fanny Ardant, Pierre Arditi, André Dussollier, Jacques Dacqmine, Hubert Gignoux
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Kanopy
Buffet froid
He has no memory of committing the murders... what did he really do?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1979
- Director Bertrand Blier
- Cast Gérard Depardieu, Bernard Blier, Jean Carmet, Michel Serrault, Geneviève Page, Jean Benguigui
- Genre Comedy, Crime
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Spotlight: Race and Racial Injustice
Black Panthers
This documentary short highlights the Black Panther Party as its members fought for the freedom of imprisoned co-founder Huey Newton.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 1968
- Director Agnès Varda
- Cast Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Stokely Carmichael, Ron Dellums, James Forman
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel, DocAlliance Films, Max Amazon Channel, Amazon Video
La Haine
In the banlieues of France, the immigrant populations' resentment simmers away -- until it starts to boil.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 1995
- Director Mathieu Kassovitz
- Cast Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili, Souleymane Dicko, Héloïse Rauth
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
I Am Not Your Negro
A study of race in America then and now, inspired by James Baldwin's unpublished writings.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Switzerland, France, Belgium • 2017
- Director Raoul Peck
- Cast Samuel L. Jackson, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, Ray Charles
- Genre Documentary, History
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, FlixFling, Kanopy, Hoopla
Les Misérables
A policeman discovers how deep tensions run among gangs in the Parisian suburbs.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2019
- Director Ladj Ly
- Cast Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djibril Zonga, Steve Tientcheu, Jeanne Balibar
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Freevee
Black Girl
(La Noire de...)
Senegalese woman goes to work for a family in France, only to be blindsided by her new employers' racism and brutality.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Senegal, France • 1966
- Director Ousmane Sembène
- Cast Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Anne-Marie Jelinek, Robert Fontaine, Momar Nar Sene, Toto Bissainthe, Sophie Leclerc
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Plex, Plex Channel
Spotlight: La Côte d'Azur
Swimming Pool
On the surface, all is calm.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United Kingdom • 2003
- Director François Ozon
- Cast Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance, Jean-Marie Lamour, Marc Fayolle, Mireille Mossé
- Genre Crime, Thriller
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Shéhérazade
Recently released from juvenile detention, Zach falls in love with Shéhérazade as they navigate the streets of Marseille.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2018
- Director Jean-Bernard Marlin
- Cast Dylan Robert, Kenza Fortas, Idir Azougli, Lisa Amedjout, Sofia Bent
- Genre Drama, Romance, Thriller
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Claire's Camera
(클레어의 카메라)
Sometimes you need to see the photo to see the truth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea, France • 2018
- Director Hong Sang-soo
- Cast Isabelle Huppert, Kim Min-hee, Chang Mi-hee, Jung Jin-young, Shahira Fahmy, Yoon Heesun
- Genre Drama
- Available on Metrograph, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
Rust and Bone
(De rouille et d'os)
Catastrophe Is A Means For Growth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2012
- Director Jacques Audiard
- Cast Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bouli Lanners, Céline Sallette, Corinne Masiero, Mourad Frarema
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
The Workshop
(L'Atelier)
A well-known Parisian novelist travels to the south to teach a writing workshop for young people.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2017
- Director Laurent Cantet
- Cast Marina Foïs, Matthieu Lucci, Warda Rammach, Florian Beaujean, Julien Souve, Olivier Thouret
- Genre Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Spotlight: Bandes Dessinées
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec
(Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec)
A popular novelist and archaeologist whisks herself off to Egypt in a quest to save her comatose sister.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2010
- Director Luc Besson
- Cast Louise Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric, Gilles Lellouche, Jean-Paul Rouve, Jacky Nercessian, Philippe Nahon
- Genre Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Mystery
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, Freevee, Plex, Plex Channel
Nicholas on Holiday
(Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas)
Once the long-awaited summer vacation has arrived, Little Nicolas and his family set out for the seaside.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2014
- Director Laurent Tirard
- Cast Valérie Lemercier, Kad Merad, Daniel Prévost, François Damiens, Francis Perrin, François-Xavier Demaison
- Genre Family, Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Chicken with Plums
(Poulet aux Prunes)
Nasser-Ali loses the will to live after his wife breaks his beloved violin during an argument. This is the story of the week that follows.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany, Belgium • 2011
- Director Marjane Satrapi
- Cast Mathieu Amalric, Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros, Golshifte Farahani, Chiara Mastroianni, Mathis Bour
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
The French Minister
(Quai d'Orsay)
A speechwriter for France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs must navigate the treacherous waters of the Quai d'Orsay, the ministry's home.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2013
- Director Bertrand Tavernier
- Cast Thierry Lhermitte, Raphaël Personnaz, Niels Arestrup, Bruno Raffaelli, Julie Gayet, Anaïs Demoustier
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
(Les 12 travaux d'Astérix)
Asterix and Obelix set out to complete twelve impossible tasks to prove to Caesar that they are as strong as the Gods.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United Kingdom • 1976
- Director Pierre Watrin
- Cast Roger Carel, Jacques Morel, Henri Labussière, Jean Martinelli, Pierre Tornade
- Genre Family, Animation, Comedy, Adventure
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Spotlight: Bastille Day
The Rendez-Vous of Déjà-Vu
(La fille du 14 juillet)
Hector falls in love with a woman at the Louvre on Bastille Day.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2013
- Director Antonin Peretjatko
- Cast Vimala Pons, Grégoire Tachnakian, Vincent Macaigne, Marie-Lorna Vaconsin, Thomas Schmitt, Serge Trinquecoste
- Genre Comedy
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Danton
Danton and Robespierre fought together as friends during the Revolution, but become bitter enemies once Robespierre takes control.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Poland • 1983
- Director Andrzej Wajda
- Cast Gérard Depardieu, Wojciech Pszoniak, Patrice Chéreau, Angela Winkler, Roland Blanche, Alain Macé
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Criterion Channel
Elena and Her Men
(Elena et les hommes)
In 1880s France, a Polish princess finds herself in a love triangle.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1956
- Director Jean Renoir
- Cast Ingrid Bergman, Jean Marais, Mel Ferrer, Jean Richard, Juliette Gréco, Dora Doll
- Genre Drama, Comedy, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
Farewell, My Queen
(Les adieux à la reine)
In France, the Queen’s life of extraordinary luxury begins to collapse as the monarchy teeters on the edge of disaster.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Spain • 2012
- Director Benoît Jacquot
- Cast Léa Seydoux, Diane Kruger, Virginie Ledoyen, Xavier Beauvois, Noémie Lvovsky, Julie-Marie Parmentier
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
One Nation, One King
(Un peuple et son roi)
The fates of many men and women intertwine in the early days of the French Revolution.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2018
- Director Pierre Schöller
- Cast Gaspard Ulliel, Adèle Haenel, Olivier Gourmet, Louis Garrel, Izïa Higelin
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel