Hi I'm Caitlin. I created this blog about French culture because I love it, and because I wanted something to keep me busy over the summer.
Here you'll find reviews of French and francophone films, novels and music, French recipes, vlogs and more!
Yesterday, me and my mum went to watch Incendies at the cinema. I hadn't read the synopsis for this so I didn't really know what to expect.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film is about two twins, Jeanne and Simon, whose mother has recently died. In her will, she leaves each of them a peculiar request- to find their father (who they thought was dead) and their brother (who they never knew they had) and give them each a letter. The twins then journey to the Middle East to learn of their mother's past and the identity of their father and brother.
Incendies is a thriller- not the kind of thing I would usually watch. As most of the film was centred around a fictional war between Christians and Muslims, there was a lot of violence, some of it fairly graphic. In one particularly memorable scene, a group of young boys attempt to avoid a sniper. However, one of the youngest is too slow and is shown lying, covered in blood, in a pile of rubble.
The story itself not as confusing as many thrillers are- it was relatively easy to follow, which surprised me. To be honest, however, I would describe it as more interesting than exciting, especially at the end when the big twist is revealed. This is done very cleverly, and the twins' reactions to this twist is very believable. My mum and I questioned how believable the twist itself was, though. I would say that that was the only downfall in this respect, however, would a twist that was believable stop it from being a twist?
I really enjoyed the way Incendies was filmed. The big red capital letters that flashed up on the screen every now and then made it feel almost like a documentary, as did the close-ups and the almost unsteady camera. It was a bit like 'Who Do You Think You Are?', but the people the twins meet aren't always as welcoming as they are on TV.
Overall, not one of my favourites, but it was well filmed and the twist at the end was very unexpected. I would recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of thrillers and mysteries. I'd give this yet another ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Caitlin
P.S. Half way through La Peste- hope to have a review up at some point next week. Also, I've added an 'I'm reading...' text box at the top of my blog so you know what reviews to expect soon!
Summer is (finally) here so expect a lot more posts from me in the next few months. There's so much I want to blog about, I'm sure I won't write about it all but I'll try to do as much as I can! I thought I'd just write a short(ish) update about what's going to be happening with this blog over the summer.
Firstly, I have some exciting news! My family and I have booked a holiday to the Dordogne this August (from the 20th to the 27th- my birthday)! I'm planning on doing a daily vlog (video blog) about what I do, see, eat, discover, etc. each day. I'll make a Youtube account at some point which I'll use to upload all the videos, then I'll put links on here.This will be easier than doing a writing post as I won't have my laptop, so I won't be able to remember everything when I get home.
I'm also gonna do some reading up on this départment so I know a bit more about the culture before I go. So, expect some Dordogne-related posts very soon!
Speaking of vlogs, I'm also planning on trying out some French recipes, and filming it, as well as my family's reactions to the food.
I've also notice that my blog lacks something: book reviews. There are so many novels I want to read this summer, so they will start to appear very soon. I'm currently reading 'La Peste' by Camus, and I'll review it as soon as I finish.
Finally, I read a very interesting article in the 'Review' section of the Guardian this morning (it wasn't from the latest one, it was in the one from 2nd July), about the poetArthur Rimbaud. It sold me; I have persuaded my mum to buy the book for me ('Illuminations'). Two quotations from the article really stood out for me: "The swarm of golden leaves buzzes around the general's house", and "I gaze for a long time at the melancholy gold laundry of the setting sun". It's so magical; it's like a fairytale. According to the article, it's also Gothic-style, which is a huge plus as I'm studying Gothic novels next year in English. Anyway, I think I'll write something about Rimbaud soon, maybe once I've read the book.
This review is a little late, but I was too tired when I got back from the cinema on Friday, and have since been delayed by a wedding, a reunion with an old friend, and a meal out. Anyway, here it is:
When I first saw this film in the cinema's brochure, I really wanted to go and see it. It's just the kind of film I like- it's a period romance, and, of course, it's French, which just adds to the romance of it all.
It's about Marie de Mézières, who is forced to marry the Prince de Montpensier, despite the fact that she is in love with Henri de Guise. Shortly after their marriage, Marie's husband goes to fight in the war between the Huguenots and the Catholics, leaving his wife with the Count of Chabannes, his former tutor.
(There's a spoiler coming up, by the way)
Marie's husband becomes jealous of the attention she gets from Henri, the Count of Chabannes, and yet another admirer, the Duc d'Anjou. She ends up sacrificing her marriage in order to be with Henri, before discovering that he has married another woman, and is not willing to sacrifice his marriage for her.
Personally, I found it very difficult to sympathise with Marie. In her situation, I would have reacted very differently, and I think this made my first impression of the film fairly negative. However, looking past that, it was a very good film.
I especially liked the contrast between the fighting scenes and the calmer scenes of Marie's home and the countryside. Obviously, the war scenes were much more bloody and violent, but in some ways there was just as much conflict in the calmer scenes, with Marie's four admirers trying to compete for her attention. In one scene, Marie's mother explains that love is an awkward thing, which I think is a main theme for this film. Marie's love for Henri de Guise is awkward as it gets in the way of her relationship with her husband, and ultimately causes her to lose both the Prince and Henri.
I can't think of much else to say on this one. If you like a good romantic tragedy, go and see this film. If you try to avoid sad films (like me), don't. If you just want to watch a film, then yes, I would recommend it. If you've seen it, please leave any comments. I realise that this review hasn't been as detailed as my others, but I think that's because I'm a bit biased on this one!
Recently, I have really got into listening to Édith Piaf. I started listening to her after I first watched 'La Môme' (or 'La vie en rose'- such a gorgeous film by the way, I'd thoroughly recommend it).
Anyway, here are a few of my favourites. When I listen to her music, I just instantly think of Paris. It's so French- it's gorgeous. It's such a shame that she had such a short life.
I also wanted to put on 'Rien de rien' (as in: "Rien de rien, il ne se passe jamais rien pour moi, je me demande pourquoi), but when I typed it into Youtube, it just came up with 'Non, je ne regrette rien'.
Tell me what you think of her and her music :) and has anyone else watched the film?
