Pieds nus sur les limaces

In this beautiful movie, Ludivine Sagnier plays Lily, a young woman with the mind of an unruly child who cannot be trusted to take care of herself.

Ludivine Sagnier as Lily

Lily lives happily with her mother in the countryside and enjoys nature in many, not always conventional, ways. E.g. she doesn't mind having slugs (the "limaces" from the title) crawl over her and she has an office where she skins small animals to make slippers. When her mother dies unexpectedly, her conventional sister Clara, a lawyer, attempts to enlist the help of a neighbor to keep an eye on Lily. When that does not work, she feels obliged to move in with Lily and only see her husband at weekends.

Gradually, Clara starts to loosen up and becomes more like Lily. In the end, the exasperated husband seems to have disappeared and both sisters try to make a living selling furry slippers and home-made marmalade from their roadside stand.

A well-made "feel good" movie with excellent acting and lots of bucolic views of the sunny French countryside: ☆☆☆☆

Pranzo di ferragosto

Possibly the best comedy I have seen this year. The English title is the literal translation of the original: Mid August Lunch. Not sure why "lunch" is there but "ferragosto" refers to an ancient festival around thet 15th of August when all self-respecting Romans have fled the heat of the city.

Except those that cannot afford to go, such as the protagonist, the middle aged Gianni, who lives with his ancient (93) mother in an apartment for which they are behind with the rent. A friend is prepared to help them out on the condition that they take in his elderly mother as a lodiger, while the friend is away on amorous business. As a result of some other events, Gianni ends up as the host of four old women.

Not all of them are well-behaved and they cause him a lot of problems. E.g. he has a hard time fighting off the advances of one of them. Admirably, he never looses his temper and I really appreciated how he was able to pamper all of his guests, not in the least with his fantastic cooking.

This was one of those movies that I fondly remember long after I have seen them: ☆☆☆☆☆

Manuale d'amore 3

Also known as "The Ages of Love" was made in 2011.

This romantic comedy features three independent stories about "love", bound together by a cupid offering some brief comments. The first story is the best, it is set in a lovely Italian village and contains some hilarious scenes. The second and third are somewhat related as they concern people living in the same building in central Rome. In the second story, a media personality gets involved with a nymphomaniac and lives to regret it, although probably not for long (the living). The third one illustrates that it is never too late, even after a heart transplant, to team up with a young but experienced woman.

An uncomplicated well made comedy that was a pleasure to watch: ☆☆☆.

Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes

This is a very good film made in 2000 by François Ozon of Swimming pool fame but I hated watching it.  According to wikipedia, the film is based on a play by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and this German origin shows in the decor and the sound track.

The acting is great as is the story. But the story is depressing and the characters represent horrible people. So, to me, it was a very good 'feel bad' movie. ☆☆☆