The Covid crisis having greatly disrupted the calendar of cinematographic releases, the year 2022 will have seen a flood of films pour into its dark rooms where a few nuggets sometimes have difficulty emerging.
This is why the
Figaro
and UGC group teams have redoubled their attention in order to select only the cream of productions in the 2023 Essentials program.
Let's remember: this festival offers viewers the opportunity to watch again, in the darkness of one of the 31 UGC partner theaters of the operation and for an exceptional price of only 4 euros, 19 feature films that have marked the year.
Among them, big productions thanks to which the industry has found colors like
Top Gun.
Maverick,
by Joseph Kosinski;
Elvis
, by Baz Luhrmann, or
What have we all done to God
, by Philippe de Chauveron;
the most beautiful winners of the 75th Cannes Film Festival:
Without filter
, by Ruben Östlund (Palme d'or),
Decision to Leave
,
by Park Chan-Wook (director's prize), and
The Cairo Conspiracy
, by Tarik Saleh (screenplay prize);
but also dramas or comedies that we did not necessarily expect and which made everyone agree, such as the sumptuous
Belfast
,
by Kenneth Branagh;
the subtle
La Nuit du 12
, by Dominik Moll;
the poignant
Other People's Children
, by Rebecca Zlotowski;
effective
November,
by Cédric Jimenez;
the delicate
En corps
, by Cédric Klapisch, or the hilarious
L'Innocent
, by Louis Garrel.
So many feature films highlighting different stories, points of view and talents.
Please note that three special screenings will be presented by the directors and journalists from
Le Figaro:
Chronicle of a passing affair
, in the presence of Emmanuel Mouret on Thursday January 12 at 8:05 p.m. at the UGC Ciné Cité des Halles hosted by Etienne Sorin.
In body
, in the presence of Cédric Klapisch, Saturday January 13 at 7:00 p.m. at UGC Gobelins hosted by a journalist from
Le Figaro.
The innocent
in the presence of Louis Garrel, Saturday January 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the UGC Ciné Cité des Halles hosted by Etienne Sorin.
Read alsoNostalgia, Tirailleurs, That summer... Films to see or avoid this week
Here are some of the films presented from January 11 to 17 as part of the Festival Les Incontournables UGC-Le Figaro.
The Innocent
by Louis Garrel
Abel, played by Louis Garrel himself, has just learned that his mother, Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg), is preparing to remarry Michel (Roschdy Zem), a former prisoner whom she met while leading workshops on theater in prison.
Abel decides to follow him closely to watch for the slightest misstep.
Very quickly, there is talk of a hold-up, consisting in robbing a cargo of caviar in a parking lot.
"In L'Innocent, Louis Garrel mixes genres, dabbles in comedy, engages in crime fiction, all with the ease of an old veteran (compliment)"
writes Éric Neuhoff.
"This is a film that never feels effort,
" he adds.
Read our review here.
The Night of the 12th
, by Dominik Moll
The murder of Clara, doused in gasoline and burned alive by a man as she was returning home, haunts Yohan, an investigator for the Grenoble judicial police.
"A guy from the bowling alley where Clara worked, in a relationship and worried about seeing his gap spread out in the public square, a handsome kid from the climbing club, a jealous guy from the city who thinks he's a hardcore rapper, an outsider in his hut, a big mouth who hits his girlfriends... The young woman's exes are the main suspects, ”
says Etienne Sorin.
The interrogations follow one another.
Each of them
“tie the belly”,
“tear the heart”
,
“depriving the spectator a little more of air
” he adds.
Read our review here.
Top Gun: Maverick
, by Joseph Kosinski
"We don't know how
Top Gun: Maverick
will be perceived in 2057"
but "
in 2022, it's mind-blowing"
exclaims Étienne Sorin.
Tom Cruise once again plays Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, the hero who helped his career take off, in 1986, during the first
Top Gun
.
This time, Pete and his pilots have to
“destroy a clandestine uranium enrichment plant in an enemy country,”
says Étienne Sorin.
Thirty-six years after the first part, Tom Cruise finds Val Kilmer, who plays Tom "Iceman" and it
"would almost make you shed a tear"
.
Read our review here.
Elvis
, by Baz Luhrmann
Elvis
retraces the life and musical work of the king of Rock'n'Roll, Elvis Presley.
The biopic also explores the complex relationship of the star, played by Austin Butler, with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
According to Olivier Nuc,
"it's as if the immortal interpreter of Heartbreak Hotel had never left the building"
.
Austin Butler
"masterfully interprets the role"
and
"from the first images, we are convinced to see the King incarnate before our eyes
" he marvels.
Read our review here.
Without filter
, by Ruben Östlund
In
Unfiltered
, Carla and Yaya, a couple of influencer models, board a luxury yacht for a cruise.
“
What a job!
exclaims Éric Neuhoff,
you have to be handsome and know how to walk”
.
But events will take a completely different turn.
It's time for the gala dinner but the captain, too busy getting drunk in his cabin, refuses to come out.
During this time, a storm rises, endangering the passengers.
“Fire on political correctness.
Haro on the king money.
This naval battle delights, takes your hair off.
Read our Palme d'Or review here!
November
, by Cédric Jimenez
Cédric Jimenez's film recounts the attacks of November 13, 2015 and immerses the viewer "
in a reality that no one has forgotten".
The Stade de France, the terraces of the 10th arrondissement, the Bataclan... That evening, in just a few hours, Paris became
"a bloody map, punctuated with sirens and flashing lights"
.
November
evokes the events
"only on the side of the investigators",
ready to do anything to get their hands on the attackers "
who evaporated into the wild"
.
"The pace is breathless for a story that screams reality,"
comments Éric Neuhoff.
Read our review here.
From January 11 to 17 (information on
ugc.fr
).