French Culture Through Films: Private Lives, Public Themes - Relationships in French Cinema *In-Person* *NEW*
Through four remarkable French films spanning different eras and social worlds, this course explores how intimate relationships reveal larger truths about society, history, and the human condition. From the haunting innocence of “Jeux Interdits” (1952) and its portrait of childhood amid war, to the unexpected bonds and hidden lives in “Le Hérisson” (2009), these films illuminate friendship, class, solitude, and resilience. In “Je verrai toujours vos visages” (2023), relationships become a means of reckoning, forgiveness, and restoration, while “Les Invités de mon père” (2010) examines family tensions, political ideals, and cultural encounters with wit and nuance. Together, we’ll understand how French cinema probes the ties between generations, strangers, and communities, asking how people connect across conflict, difference, and time. Rich in emotion, social insight, and moral depth, they offer a powerful lens onto both French society and universal human experience. All films are shown in French language with English subtitles. Students of all levels of French are welcome; knowing French is not a prerequisite for this class, but the willingness to immerse in the language is required.
Weekly Breakdown:
Week 1: Jeux Interdits: A masterpiece of French cinema, Jeux Interdits follows two children who form a fragile bond as war upends their lives. Set against the chaos of World War II, the film contrasts childhood innocence with the brutality and absurdity of the adult world. By turns tender, tragic, and darkly ironic, this Oscar winner remains a profound meditation on friendship, grief, and survival.
Week 2: Le Hérisson: While giving us a real slice of Parisian life, this witty and touching film explores unexpected friendships across barriers of age, class, and loneliness. Beneath its seeming innocence narrated by a 12-year-old lies a thoughtful reflection on hidden lives, human dignity, and the transformative power of connection.
Week 3: Je verrai toujours vos visages: This deeply affecting contemporary film examines the French restorative justice system through encounters between victims and offenders. With extraordinary humanity, this “fictional documentary”—nominated for a 2024 César as best film of the year--explores trauma, accountability, forgiveness, and the possibility of healing through dialogue.
Week 4: Les invités de mon père: By turn comic and poignant, this film portrays family tensions, political ideals, and immigration through the story of a well-meaning but complicated patriarch by posing the question: Whose life is it anyway? It offers a nuanced portrait of generational conflict,
cultural differences, and moral contradiction.
Instructor: Valerie Sutter