31 Must-See French Movies (January Edition)
31 great French movies to watch for the month of January. Discover one movie to watch every day to help you work on your French speaking skills.
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Day 1: Les temps qui changent (Changing Times)Day 2: Monsieur LazharDay 3: Nés en 68 (Born in 68)Day 4: Un amour de jeunesse (Goodbye First Love)Day 5: La Bonne Année (Happy New Year )Day 6: La Reine Margot (Queen Margot)Day 7: Roman de Gare (Crossed Tracks)Day 8: La Femme d’à côté (The Woman Next Door)Day 9: Callas ForeverDay 10: Je m’appelle Hmmm …(My Name is Hmmm…. )Day 11: 9 Mois Ferme (9 Month Stretch)Day 12: Le VilainDay 13: LOUISE-MICHEL (Louise Hires a Contract Killer)Day 14: Elle s’en va (On My Way)Day 15: ArtemisiaDay 16: Quai d’Orsay (The French Minister)Day 17: Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran (Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran)Day 18: Enfermés dehors (Locked Out)Day 19: La vie devant soi (Madame Rosa)Day 20: Potiche (Trophy Wife)Day 21:Mr. X, le cinéma de Leos Carax (Mr Leos caraX)Day 22: Fanny (2013)Day 23: Alceste à bicyclette (Bicycling with Molière)Day 24: Une vieille maîtresse (The Last Mistress)Day 25 : L’ivresse du pouvoir (Comedy of Power)Day 26: Adorables CréaturesDay 27: Les ambitieux (Ambitious)Day 28: L’animal (The Animal)Day 29: Crime d’amour (Love Crime)Day 30: Une part du ciel (A Piece of Sky)Day 31: Brodeuses (Sequins / A Common Thread)So…Which movie are you planning to watch?Here we go again with a list of French movies for you to watch this month: one movie for every day of the month!
As the weather gets colder this January, it’s time to stay in and stay warm and we have just the perfect selection of fantastic movies.
So sit back and stay indoors with these French movies to keep you company.
See also: How to Learn French with Movies in 7 Easy Steps
Day 1: Les temps qui changent (Changing Times)
Year: 2004
Director: André Téchiné
Screenplay: André Téchiné, Laurent Guyot, Pascal Bonitzer
What lengths would you go to in order to look for the first love of your life? The chance of seeing them again and bringing them back into your life is slim, but the main character Antoine is ready to risk it. On a hopeless romantic whim, Antoine moves from France to Tangier to track down his first love.
Day 2: Monsieur Lazhar
Year: 2011
Director: Philippe Falardeau
Screenplay: Philippe Falardeau
For our second film of the month, let us welcome an award-winning Canadian French-language movie Monsieur Lazhar.
Monsieur Lazhar is about an Algerian immigrant who works as a teacher in an elementary school in Montreal. After the suicide of one of the school’s teachers, Bachir Lazhar applies as the replacement. However, there are many struggles that await him teaching in a foreign school, in a foreign country.
Day 3: Nés en 68 (Born in 68)
Year: 2008
Director: Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau
Screenplay: Catherine Corsini, Olivier Ducastel, Guillaume Le Touze, Jacques Martineau
The next film, Nés en 68, is all about the challenges faced when living in a revolutionary society. The dramatic events of May 1968 are featured in this film throughout the journey of three revolutionary students and the riots and protests they experience during this time.
Catherine, Yves, and Hervé are three student protesters who seek change during the late 60s. May 1968 cast life into the shadows of civil unrest, and during this time the three students bond together in face of the difficult situation.
Day 4: Un amour de jeunesse (Goodbye First Love)
Year: 2011
Director: Mia Hansen-Løve
Screenplay: Mia Hansen-Løve
This French film explores the themes of love in a teenage couple who grow apart because of their different personalities, goals and desires in life. Sullivan, the male protagonist, desires to learn more about himself by exploring the world. Camille, a studious fifteen-year-old girl, falls for Sullivan’s attitude and ambition. Sullivan, however, is not interested in anything serious. His feelings for her grow, but his youthful desire to be a world explorer drives him to leave her. Camille descends into a state of depression at his abandonment, to the point of being suicidal. Eight years later and the question remains if time can heal all wounds and if they can move on from their first love.
Day 5: La Bonne Année (Happy New Year )
Year: 1973
Director: Claude Lelouch
Screenplay: Claude Lelouch and Pierre Uytterhoeven
Love can happen at the most inappropriate times, as we find out in our fifth movie. Claude Lelouch plays with the idea of stealing someone’s heart in La Bonne Année.
The main character, a gangster, finds a stumbling block in his career when planning a heist to rob a jewellery store. Instead of carrying out the robbery as planned, he accidentally loses his heart to Françoise, the intelligent and beautiful owner of an antique shop nearby. He must change his scheming from robbing items to giving compliments in order to seduce his new-found love. How will this unplanned, and rather inconvenient, love affair impact the heist?
Day 6: La Reine Margot (Queen Margot)
Year: 1994
Director: Patrice Chéreau
Screenplay: Danièle Thompson, Patrice Chéreau
For movie number six we have a historical film to enjoy. La Reine Margot stars Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Virna Lisi, and Vincent Perez in the 16th century historical drama.
During this period, an ongoing war rages between the Catholics and Protestant Huguenots who fight for power over France. Political control, religious disputations, arranged marriages and treachery surround the characters in the film. King Charles IX and his mother Catherine de Medici rule France, but are threatened by the Huguenots. In a bid to defeat the enemy, Catherine offers her daughter to marry Henri de Bourbon, a Huguenot king of Navarre. Murder, massacres and chaos ensue after this decision.
La Reine Margot is an internationally co-produced film adapted from the historical novel of the same name written by Alexandre Dumas. The film received high praise internationally, and Virna Lisi won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Day 7: Roman de Gare (Crossed Tracks)
Year: 2007
Director: Claude Lelouch
Screenplay: Claude Lelouch, Pierre Uytterhoeven
Also known as Crossed Tracks, Roman de Gare explores the life of a ghostwriter.
In this thriller-suspense film, Judith is a successful novelist who relies on a ghostwriter, Pierre. Meanwhile, a serial killer nicknamed The Magician has escaped from prison, and a stranger encounters Huguette, a hairdresser abandoned at a motorway service area. The story plays with doubts about the stranger’s identity. The worlds of fiction and reality combine as themes about serial killers and identity revelations occur. The twisted plot unfolds as the famous writer and the mysterious ghostwriter become entangled in the mystery.
Day 8: La Femme d’à côté (The Woman Next Door)
Year: 1981
Director: François Truffaut
Screenplay: Jean Aurel, Suzanne Schiffman, François Truffaut
Meeting up with an ex can always be awkward, but our eighth film takes it to a whole new level of discomfort.
Bernard Coudray and Mathilde Bauchard don’t expect to meet up ever again after their breakup, but fate has a different idea. After many years, they find out that they are not only living in the same neighbourhood, but next door to each other! The flame that they thought was extinguished is rekindled after their awkward reunion. They must try to repress their past feelings for each other to save their current marriages. How will they handle the challenge of being torn between fiery love and love for their families?
Day 9: Callas Forever
Year: 2002
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Screenplay: Franco Zeffirelli and Martin Sherman
Number nine on our French movie list is a fictionalised drama by Franco Zeffirelli about a well-known opera diva.
Callas Forever imagines the final years of Maria Callas. This famous opera singer died in 1977 of heart failure, and the film is set shortly before her death. As Callas ages, the once successful opera singer finds her voice starting to fade. However, she meets a longtime friend who gives her another opportunity to revive her fame. This comes at the cost of her integrity. Will she ignore her conscience and take the tempting offer? This film closely follows the theme of losing and regaining one’s identity through accepting who you are.
Day 10: Je m’appelle Hmmm …(My Name is Hmmm…. )
Year: 2013
Director: Agnès B.
Screenplay: Agnès B., Jean-Pol Fargeau, Christopher Yggdre
The story revolves around a little girl who refuses to say her name. Running away from her dysfunctional family, she disappears during a field trip and befriends a truck driver.
Day 11: 9 Mois Ferme (9 Month Stretch)
Year: 2013
Director: Albert Dupontel
Screenplay: Albert Dupontel
This French movie tells the story of Ariane Felder, a highly conservative and morally strict judge, who experiences an unplanned pregnancy. What complicates the situation further is that the father is an infamous criminal, Bob Nolan, played by Dupontel. Felder is a conservative magistrate so many are shocked to find out she is pregnant. How does she deal with the shame of knowing the father is a suspect in a violent assault case? Albert Dupontel won the César for Best Original Screenplay and Sandrine Kiberlain won Best Actress for this movie, while the film received multiple positive reviews and various award nominations.
Day 12: Le Vilain
Year: 2009
Director: Albert Dupontel
Screenplay: Albert Dupontel
This comedy film is about a villainous bank robber known as Le Vilain, who attempts to stay safe by hiding out in his old neighbourhood. However, his mother has issues with his mischievous past activities and is eager for him to repent his sins. To his mother’s dismay, the robber values his life of crime more than he does his promise to his family. The film unfolds in his comical situation where the robber must deal with the police running after him, hiding from his mother’s oath of repentance and a property developer named Korazy. Laugh along as he has to carefully plan his next move to stay safe!
Day 13: LOUISE-MICHEL (Louise Hires a Contract Killer)
Year: 2008
Director: Gustave de Kervern, Benoît Delépine
Screenplay: Gustave de Kervern , Benoît Delépine
Louise has recently been fired from a children’s clothing factory without any notice. Frustrated by the injustice, she decides to take the law into her own hands. To get revenge on the company, she seeks to get rid of the man who forced her into unemployment. To do this, she hires Michel. Unfortunately, she is duped by Michel’s fraudulent way. He is incapable of finishing the job and hires some dubious novices.
The French movie depicts a vicious cycle of taking advantage of one another as it attacks the deeper connotations of this capitalistic society. In a harsh way, viewers witness the disadvantages of being part of the lower class society and the “measures” they are forced to take.
Day 14: Elle s’en va (On My Way)
Year: 2013
Director: Emmanuelle Bercot
Screenplay: Emmanuelle Bercot, Jérôme Tonnerre
Bettie is a restaurant owner and former beauty queen. Living with her elderly mother and facing tensions with her daughter, Bettie struggles to find her independence. Her lover has left her for a younger woman, and her restaurant is in financial trouble.
Bettie embarks on a long drive to an unplanned destination as her life spirals out of control around her. During her journey, she finds herself marveling at parts of France she has never seen before and makes new friends along the way. Is Bettie running away from love on her journey, or towards it?
Day 15: Artemisia
Year: 1997
Director: Agnès Merlet
Screenplay: Patrick Amos, Agnès Merlet, Christine Miller
A French, Italian and German co-production brings us our fifteenth film. Artemisia revolves around the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, a female Italian Baroque painter who lived from 1593 to 1654 or later (the film takes liberties with her real story).
In the film, Artemisia faces restrictions on studying art and drawing nude models. Artemisia was protected and guided by her influential father, Orazio Gentileschi, and was able to develop her art skills. Her curiosity to view male bodies and paint them leads her to seek out male volunteers to pose as models in exchange for a kiss. Artemisia became one of the first well-known female painters of her time and created a legacy of feminism. She is renowned as the epitome of a modern woman who takes control of her life and circumstances.
Day 16: Quai d’Orsay (The French Minister)
Year: 2013
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Screenplay: Christophe Blain, Abel Lanzac, Bertrand Tavernier
Alexandre is not your ordinary French Minister. He is tall, stylish, charming and intelligent. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs in France, he is ambitious and determined to overcome powerful technocrats. To do this, he espouses three diplomatic concepts: legitimacy, lucidity, and efficacy. Alexandre is determined to win the war against the Neo-cons, Corrupt officials, and fraudulent criminals.
On the other hand, there is a young graduate of the prestigious National School of Administration, Arthur Vlaminck. He is hired to write the speeches of the minister, but he has to learn in addition the complex system running in the hallways of Quai d’Orsay.
Day 17: Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran (Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran)
Year: 2003
Director: François Dupeyron
Screenplay: François Dupeyron
Our next film, number seventeen, is a touching cross-cultural film. Starring Omar Sharif, Monsieur Ibrahim is a French movie adaptation of the book and play written by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt.
The story revolves around the growing relationship between an elderly Turkish man, Ibrahim Demirci and a younger Jewish boy, Moïse Momo, most commonly known as Momo. Ibrahim is running a grocery store in a lower class neighborhood in the 1960s in Paris. Momo is living with his father, who has depression, in a small apartment across the street. Since Momo lacks the paternal love that he needs, he finds it instead with Ibrahim. The death of Momo’s father leads to the opportunity for Ibrahim to adopt the boy. They return to Ibrahim’s hometown where Momo learns more about Islam and Ibrahim’s culture.
Day 18: Enfermés dehors (Locked Out)
Year: 2006
Director: Albert Dupontel
Screenplay: Albert Dupontel, Guillaume Laurant
Albert Dupontel is back for French movie number eighteen, which tells a story of desperation to change one’s identity.
Roland is a homeless man who stumbles across a discarded policeman’s uniform. Hungry and desperate, he wears the police uniform in order to gain access to the police’s canteen. To be convincing in this, he must act like a policeman and maintain peace and order in the community. As he becomes more comfortable in his new identity, Roland eventually becomes involved in high-profile cases.
Day 19: La vie devant soi (Madame Rosa)
Year: 1977
Director: Moshe Mizrahi
Screenplay: Moshé Mizrahi, based on Romain Gary’s novel (published as Émile Ajar)
The story centres around Madame Rosa, an aging and former Jewish prostitute who is an Auschwitz survivor. She now makes ends meet by living off a meagre income babysitting the children of younger prostitutes. One of these children, Momo, an Arab boy, is living under her custody. He hasn’t seen his parents in years. In her aging state, Momo is the only thing that brings Madame Rosa joy and happiness. Despite the hardships she has faced in her life, Momo teaches her to love selflessly and value the meaning of family.
Day 20: Potiche (Trophy Wife)
Year: 2010
Director: François Ozon
Screenplay: François Ozon
Our twentieth film delves into the themes and questions surrounding gender equality in politics and business back in the 1970s.
François Ozon takes the concept of the typical trophy housewife back in 1977 and puts an interesting spin on it. Suzanne Pujol, played by Catherine Deneuve, finds herself under bizarre circumstances substituting for her husband in his position at a factory when the workers go on strike. With a new attitude and approach, Suzanne changes many aspects in the management of the company and the treatment of workers. She proves herself a competent female leader. However, conflict arises when her husband wants to take back his position. This French movie depicts the struggles of women to make themselves heard in workplace politics in the 1970s.
Day 21:Mr. X, le cinéma de Leos Carax (Mr Leos caraX)
Year: 2014
Director: Tessa Louise-Salomé
Screenplay writer: Tessa Louise-Salomé, Chantal Perrin-Cluzet , Adrien Walter
The film/documentary revolves around the life of solitary French filmmaker Leos Carax who became an icon in the world of cinema.
Day 22: Fanny (2013)
Director: Daniel Auteuil
Screenplay: Daniel Auteuil, based on the plays by Marcel Pagnol
The themes of strength, faith and love intertwine in film number twenty-two as we watch the story of Fanny unfold.
Fanny finds herself in complex circumstances as she has fallen pregnant by a man who abandoned her. Despite this, she tries to remain a firm believer in true love. With so many societal expectations and perspectives surrounding her, Fanny struggles to stick to her beliefs. This touching film is all about learning to love, trusting the promises of those you care about, and having faith that it is possible to embrace the challenges, flaws and beauty of a person.
Day 23: Alceste à bicyclette (Bicycling with Molière)
Year: 2013
Director: Philippe Le Guay
Screenplay: Philippe Le Guay
Serge is a proud, misanthropic former actor in Bicycling with Molière, shut off from the world and from the possibility of finding love. When an old colleague, Gauthier, comes to persuade him to perform Molière’s Le Misanthrope together, his independent and stoic ways are challenged. Then he meets a woman who changes his perspective on life. Watch the story unfold as Serge is forced to question things he has always been certain of. The process of caring for another person changes his outlook on the world, but will this be a good thing for Serge?
Day 24: Une vieille maîtresse (The Last Mistress)
Year: 2007
Director: Catherine Breillat
Screenplay: Catherine Breillat, based on Jules-Amédée Barbey d’Aurevilly’s novel
Ryno and Hermangarde are newlyweds in Une vieille maîtresse and their new life together is off to a rocky start. The reappearance of Ryno’s former Spanish mistress raises many questions and casts doubt between him and his new wife. In the ultimate test of their marriage, Hermangarde must trust her new husband and have faith in his love for her. This is made all the more difficult by the Spanish mistress threatening to reveal more details of her past with Ryno.
Day 25 : L’ivresse du pouvoir (Comedy of Power)
Year: 2006
Director: Claude Chabrol
Screenplay: Odile Barski and Claude Chabrol
A magistrate Jeanne Charmant-Killman investigates a corporate executive responsible for a significant misuse of corporate assets. But this sensitive investigation raises concerns in the politics and business community. Pressures and intimidation are taking place to stop this nosy judge. But it is too late to stop her. Drunk on power, Judge Killman is determined to go through with her investigation. She is ready to sacrifice everything, safety and even her husband.
Day 26: Adorables Créatures
Year: 1952
Director: Christian-Jaque
Screenplay writer: Charles Spaak and Jacques Companeez
On the eve of his wedding, André Noblet remembers the adorable creatures he has met in his life: Christiane, who dreams of adventure, Minouche, who snatches him away, Denise, who supports the arts, and Catherine, who marries him and also starts dreaming. A charming romantic comedy starring Daniel Gélin, Danielle Darrieux and Martine Carol.
Day 27: Les ambitieux (Ambitious)
Year: 2006
Director: Catherine Corsini
Screenplay writer: Catherine Corsini, Benoît Graffin and Cédric Kahn
Julien is a focused and determined writer with hopes of becoming published one day. He is often blinded by ambition and makes some mistakes along the way. He begins a relationship with Judith, an influential editor. When he secretly turns her father’s story into a novel, she feels betrayed, and he finds some complex circumstances happening around him. Julien’s world is suddenly filled with confusion and mistrust from the women in his life and he faces the consequences of his ambition. His only hope is his past mistakes won’t ruin his future prospects.
Day 28: L’animal (The Animal)
Year: 1977
Director: Claude Zidi
Screenplay writer: Claude Zidi, Michel Audiard, Dominique Fabre
Mike Gaucher is a stuntman, in love and about to marry his coworker Jane. After a stunt accident, Jane leaves him. Mike then gets a job doubling for film star Bruno Ferrari, who looks just like him but cannot handle his own stunts. Mike tries to win Jane back while navigating the chaos of the film business. This French film mixes stunt-filled comedy with the complications of romance.
Day 29: Crime d’amour (Love Crime)
Year: 2010
Director: Alain Corneau
Screenplay writer: Alain Corneau and Nathalie Carter
For number twenty-nine, we have a suspense thriller that has an interesting twist on the psychology of the mind.
Christine and Isabelle are office colleagues. However, ambition and greed get in the way of this as Christine steals Isabelle’s project and claims it as her own. Isabelle, angered by this betrayal, plots a cunning plan against Christine. A series of mind games ensue as the women deal with the consequences of betrayal.
Day 30: Une part du ciel (A Piece of Sky)
Year: 2002
Director: Bénédicte Liénard
Screenplay writer: Bénédicte Liénard
Our thirtieth movie is a French-Belgian film by Bénédicte Liénard.
Une Part du Ciel tells the story of Claudine and Joanna, two very opposite women. Claudine works on the production line at a factory and Joanna is her friend, who is in prison. Joanna’s lawyer needs Claudine to testify, but doing so would mean denouncing the union structure that protects her. The story moves between the factory and the prison, and a friendship is put to the test by politics and social status.
Day 31: Brodeuses (Sequins / A Common Thread)
Year: 2004
Director: Éléonore Faucher
Screenplay writer: Éléonore Faucher, Gaëlle Macé
Our final film for the month is a story of friendship and the way it impacts our lives.
Éléonore Faucher explores the foundations of friendship by asking how friendship begins, and whether it is founded on more than common interests and personal connection. The protagonist Claire finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and finds refuge working with Madame Melikian, an embroiderer. Madame Melikian has just suffered the loss of her son due to an accident. The two form an unlikely relationship and begin to bond. Over time, their friendship grows deeper as they start to appreciate and value each other’s presence in their lives.
So…Which movie are you planning to watch?
This list features some comedy, romance, dramas, thrillers and political movies for your enjoyment. Throughout these films, we find an underlying theme of change and how inevitable it is in life. This is certainly true for the New Year and worth keeping in mind as we start the year with new resolutions and transitions.