Name: France
Genre: Short
Released: 1998-03-25
Duration: 17 min
Rating: 5.3
Cast: Nathalie Moncorger, France Zobda, François Raoul-Duval

One of the stand-outs in the "L'Atelier D'Eric Rohmer" compilation

The short film _France_ by Diane Baratier, Eric Rohmer's long-time cinematographer, can be found in the DVD compilation "L'Atelier D'Eric Rohmer." Most of those shorts are about lovers, painters, and models in the vein of _Rendezvous in Paris_ and _The Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle_.

_France_ stands out because it is edgy, nervy, grimy, grainy. The titular character (France, a stunning Nathalie Moncorger who had a brief TV career) is a Metro train driver whose everyday life is disproportionately taken up by the rude catcalls and leering stares of men in the streets, in the metro stations, and so on. Her work life seems satisfying and she attends community dances on weekends; between those times she locks herself in her apartment, increasingly sensitive to the assaultive environment.

_France_ came decades before the "me too" movement, and its sensitivity stands out in a compilation (mostly by women-directors) who depict Paris as a romantic/artistic wonderland.

I bought the DVD in the Potemkine specialty store off the shoulder of a stunning canal (Quai de Valmy) in Paris. The curation is very disappointing; it toes the critics' darling party-line. For the last 25+ years those critics have done nothing but promote atrocious auteurs and film movements of terrible taste. Cinema of Humiliation (von Trier, Haneke). Formalism-on-Steroid (Lucrecia Martel, Jia Zhang-ke). Plain old mediocrity (Assayas, Despleschin, P. T. Anderson). The owners could at least have a cabinet highlighting the promising next generation, e.g., the Prix Louis-Delluc first film winners. As it was, you won't find anything by Nicolas Pariser, Thomas Cailley, or Iris Kaltenback there. In that sense, the FNAC department stores have much better selections.

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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