Resolutions.

Going into 2022 I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to read or watch at least one piece of meaningful entertainment a day.

Yesterday I watched Le nouveau, a 2015 french movie from Rudi Rosenberg. A Bildungsroman in the tradition of Truffaut and Pialat, the film tells the story of a kid whose family has recently moved to Paris. Struggling to fit in to his new surroundings, the boy eventually falls in with a crowd of folk similarly misplaced by society, and finds his people. As typical as the plot is the film’s joy comes from seeing the situation unfold, and it’s nicely shot.

Today I took in Guillerme Brac’s short film Un monde sans femmes. Brac is one of my favourite contemporary filmmakers, with his À l’abordage amongst my favourite films of last year, and his 2018 Treasure Island one of my favourite documentaries of all time. Un monde sans femmes is one of Brac’s earliest films, stemming from 2011, and is elevated by a fantastic performance from Vincent Macaigne, a hugely appealing actor. Laure Calamy from Call My Agent co-stars, and is also a great presence.

Most of Brac’s back catalogue, including Un monde sans femmes is currently on MUBI. So is Le nouveau.