Life the Way It Is

Shadows

The life of an ordinary working class family in Bagnolet's block of council flats, Paris' suburb. "I've spent 17 years here. I sacrificed myself for you. Now it's over. " says the mother, who dreams of being a singer. Between a pre-teen rocker brother and a disillusioned father, daughter Nathalie brings balance into this breaking-down family.

Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle

Two young girls meet, Reinette from the countryside and Mirabelle from Paris, and decide to take a flat together in Paris where they attend University. Four successive stories about their daily lives illustrate the very different views, characters and relation to the world of these two friends.

Des jeunes femmes disparaissent

Second version of a short film Brisseau will remake in 2014.

Céline

After the death of her father, 22-year-old Céline inherits most of his estate, but gives it to her stepmother, causing her greedy fiancé to leave her. Following several failed suicide attempts, Céline is hospitalized and comes to the attention of a nurse, Genevieve, who has struggled with depression. Under her personal care, Céline gradually recovers, and the two women grow close.

Sound and Fury

This drama depicts the misery of neglected children in big cities. 13 years old Bruno is of a good family, but since the death of his grandmother he spends most of his time alone, in a phantasy world, while his mother is away at work. But then he befriends the violent Jean-Roger, who's from a severely disturbed family, where nobody cares what he's doing. In school Jean-Roger drives their teacher into despair just for fun. To separate the two boys, she starts to stimulate Bruno's interests by giving him extra lessons. When Jean-Roger fears loosing his one and only friend, he becomes even more aggressive.

White Wedding

A philosophy professor has an illicit affair with one of his students, a bright yet troubled girl who lives alone.

Des jeunes femmes disparaissent

First version

A Brutal Game

A strict father imposes impossible guidelines on his disabled daughter which reflect his secret and tortured life.

Workers for the Good Lord

After his wife leaves him, Fred goes on a cross-country crime spree in this dark but dreamy French comedy.

Secret Things

Two young women find themselves struggling to survive in Paris, street-wise Nathalie, a stripper, and naïve Sandrine, a barmaid. Together, they discover that sex can be used to their advantage, and pleasure.

The Girl from Nowhere

Michel, a retired math teacher, has lived alone since his wife’s death and occupies his time writing an essay about the beliefs that shape daily life. One day he comes across Dora, a young homeless woman, who shows up injured on his doorstep, and puts her up until she recovers. Her presence brings something new to Michel’s life, but gradually the apartment becomes the site of mysterious happenings.

The Black Angel

Stephane, the wife of a prominent magistrate, shoots and kills a man in her home and claims he tried to rape her. While investigating her case, her lawyer becomes hopelessly enmeshed in a web of lies and subterfuges concerning her past.

The Exterminating Angels

A filmmaker holds a series of boundary-pushing auditions for his latest project: a thriller on the subject of female pleasure.

The Interchange

A young boy moves with his mother into rent-controlled housing in a new banlieue. He begins sixth grade and meets a mysterious classmate. Produced for the "Contes pour enfants" television series that aired on former network Antenna-2.

Des jeunes femmes disparaissent

Two young women in crisis prepare the separation of one of them with her companion. Without knowing that they are watched by two serial killers...

Death in the Afternoon

A man stabbed to death is haunted by his memories and fantasies while dying alone.