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FILM

French films with English subtitles to watch in April 2024

Lost in Frenchlation – the cinema club that screens French films with English subtitles – has seven films on offer, including one remastered classic, in April 2024.

Published: 22 March 2024 13:30 CET
French films with English subtitles to watch in April 2024
A bowl of popcorn in Paris (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP)

Lost in Frenchlation has plenty in store for English-speakers looking to enjoy French cinema this April in Paris.

There are seven films on the docket, plus a meet and greet with the actress Louise Bourgoin and a special ice-cream tasting.

You can also subscribe to their weekly newsletter with more updates here, or visit their website Lost in Frenchlation.

Boléro

Thursday, April 4th 

Le Balzac theatre,1 Rue Balzac, 75008 Paris

Directed by Anne Fontaine, this film takes place in Paris in 1928. It tells the story of Maurice Ravel, who is chosen by the choreographer Ida Rubenstein to compose the music for her next ballet. As Ravel tries to find inspiration, he thinks back to key moments in his life.

Arrive early for pre-drinks at 7pm. The screening will start at 8pm, and it will be preceeded by a musical introduction.

Tickets – They range from €5.50 to €11.50, you can reserve them here. ​​

Les rois de la piste

Monday, April 8th

Luminor theatre, 20 Rue du Temple, 75004 Paris

Directed by Thierry Klifa, comedy-drama tells the story of a family of scammers, led by the matriarch Rachel who has raised her sons, Sam (played by the legendary Mathieu Kassovitz) and Jérémie, as well as her grandson, Nathan, to steal. When the family unknowingly takes a valuable painting, they are tracked across France by a clever detective, Céleste.

Arrive early for pre-drinks from 7pm. The screening begins at 8am, and it will be followed by a Q&A session with the director.

Tickets – Ranging from €7- €11. You can buy them here.

Quitter la nuit

Friday, April 14th

L’Entrepôt theatre, 7 Rue Francis de Pressensé, 75014 Paris

Directed by Delphine Girard, this film (known as ‘Through the Night’ in English) begins with Aly calling for help after being assaulted by Dary. Anna, the emergency responder, takes the call. Dary is arrested, but the story does not end there as the film continues to track the long-term effects of assault – both on the victim and the perpetrator.

Arrive early for the ‘Women of Paris’ tour at 5pm. Pre-drinks will start at 7pm, with the screening at 8pm.

Tickets – For the film, tickets cost between €7- €8.50 and can be purchased here.

Those for the tour cost €17. They can be purchased here.

QLN_FAwebinter_vostA from Lost in Frenchlation on Vimeo.

HLM Pussy

Friday, April 19th

Club de L’Etoile theatre,14 Rue Troyon, 75017 Paris

Directed by Nora El Hourch, this film has a lot to say about friendship and sisterhood. Amina, Djeneba and Zineb are teenagers and have been friends for years, but when one of the three posts a video on social media denouncing sexual assault, their friendship is put to the test.

Pre-drinks start at 7pm, and the screening begins at 8pm.

Tickets – Ranging from €10- €12, you can buy them here.

Bis Repetita

Monday, April 22nd

Cinéma du Panthéon, 13 Rue Victor Cousin, 75005 Paris

Directed by Émilie Noblet, this comedy film is about Delphine, a disillusioned Latin teacher who does not bother teaching her students, instead just giving them good grades in exchange for a quiet classroom. However, the situation takes a turn when her class’ high grades qualify them for the largest international Latin competition in Italy. For Delphine and her pupils, the only solution seems to be cheating.

Arrive early for pre-drinks at 7pm. The screening will start at 8pm, and it will be followed by a special Q&A with the lead actress, Louise Bourgoin.

Tickets – Ranging from €10- €12, they can be purchased here.

Peau d’Âne

Thursday, April 25th

L’Arlequin theatre, 76 Rue de Rennes, 75006 Paris

Directed by Jacques Demy, this classic French film (remastered) 1970 recreates the French fairytale. The story involves a wealthy king who promises his dying wife not to marry anyone more beautiful than her. After she dies, he realises that to keep this promise he would have to marry his own daughter. With the help of her Fairy Godmother, the daughter is able to resist his advances as she conceals herself under a donkey’s hide, eventually finding her prince charming.

Arrive early for the movie-themed walking tour at 5pm. Pre-drinks and ice cream will be served at 7pm, followed by the screening at 8pm.

Tickets – Ranging from €9.5- €12 for the film – you can buy them here.

If you want to take part in the tour, reserve your €17 ticket in advance here.

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CULTURE

Can Costner lead the revenge of France’s much-mocked Kevins?

In 1990s France, amidst the Pierres and the Jean-Claudes, a Hollywood hero with all-American good looks inspired a new name craze.

Published: 19 May 2024 16:52 CEST
Can Costner lead the revenge of France's much-mocked Kevins?

The era of the Kevin — or Kev-een as the French pronounce it — had arrived, ushered in by the passions unleashed by a moustachioed Kevin Costner in his epic directorial debut, “Dances with Wolves”.

Suddenly, little Kevins were to be found the length and breadth of France.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for these young ambassadors of Americana.

As Kevin Costner, now aged 69, prepares for his much-anticipated comeback at the Cannes Film Festival, AFP looks at how his French namesakes went from hero to zero and back again:

Je m’appelle Kevin

Celtic in origin, hailing from the Irish name “Caoimhin” after a hermit monk who lived in a stone cell in a glacial valley, the Kevin craze was sparked by not one but two huge Hollywood films.

In 1990 two million French people flocked to see the antics of a young boy called Kevin battling to defend his family home from burglars in “Home Alone”.

A year later, “Dances with Wolves”, which scooped seven Oscars, topped the French box office, pulling in a whopping seven million viewers.

The impact on birth certificates was immediate — that year Kevin was the most popular boy’s name in France, chosen for just over 14,000 newborns, according to data compiled by AFP.

The wave continued with over 10,000 baby Kevins a year until 1995 when it dipped to some 8,000 and progressively dwindled thereafter.

Mocked and shamed 

By the time the Kevins hit adolescence in the early 2000s, Costner’s star power had faded and the name had become shrouded in stigma, associated with lower classes picking exotic-sounding names drawn from pop culture.

Sociologist Baptiste Coulmont studied the social determinism of French names by comparing the names with the childrens’ exam grades.

Between 2012-2020 four percent of Kevins received the top “very good” grade for the baccalaureate exam taken at the end of high school, compared with 18 percent for the classic bourgeois name Augustin.

For director Kevin Fafournoux, who grew up in what he calls an “ordinary” family in central France and is making a documentary called “Save the Kevins”, the name “spells redneck, illiterate, geek, annoying” for many in his country.

“All this has impacted my life and that of other Kevins, whether in terms of our self-confidence, professional credibility or in relationships,” he says in its trailer.

In Germany, which also saw a wave of Kevins in the early 1990s, the negative stereotypes conferred on parents who give children exotic-sounding names from other cultures has a name: Kevinismus.

“Kevin is not a name but a diagnosis,” said one teacher scathingly in a 2009 article by Die Zeit newspaper about little Kevins, Chantals and Angelinas being labelled problem children.

Shedding the stigma

As the years pass, Kevins have become doctors, academics, politicians and much more — and attitudes have shifted.

“There are tens of thousands of Kevins in France, they are everywhere in society and can no longer be associated with one background,” Coulmont told The Guardian newspaper in an interview in 2022.

That year, two Kevins were elected to parliament for the far-right National Rally (RN).

“Will the Kevins finally have their revenge?” asked Le Point magazine.

The RN’s president is himself a fresh-faced 28-year-old, who grew up in a high-rise housing estate on the outskirts of Paris. He also carries a name with clear American overtones: Jordan Bardella.

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