"That'd be the French"

The other day, I consulted IMDb and made a list of all the movies I've seen on the big screen in 2007. There have only been a handful of really enjoyable movies and not one of them do I want to own on DVD. Now, that is a sorry state of affairs. But, much like buses, you wait months and months for a good film and then two come along at once.

Last night I did a French movie double bill, starting with Tell No-One. Harlan Coben's novel is transplanted to Paris and with Guillaume Canet (who very few people will remember from The Beach) at the helm, it is a very confident and totally gripping thriller. Certain moments of the film do stretch credibility a tad and when all the cards are finally on the table, you may find yourself going "now hang on a minute", but the ride has been so intense, the destination is forgiven.

And then, I saw La Vie En Rose. Marion Cotillard might stand almost a foot taller than Edith Piaf and be much more attractive, but her performance puts any thoughts of physical mismatch right out of your mind. It is quite possibly the performance of the decade, totally real and completely mesmerising. The film itself is also completely involving and while it may elide some of Edith's off stage life, the point of the film is to show Edith Piaf as the diva star who shone so brightly, nobody else around her got a look in. And in that it was a complete success. An early front runner for my film of the year (admittedly against no competition at all, but still), I have to say I hope Marion Cottilard does a Helen Mirren style clean sweep of the awards for her performance here.