The Grand Illusion

Ellie Foumbi's sophisticated thriller focuses on Marie (Babetida Sadjo in a powerhouse performance), the head chef at a retirement home in small-town France. Her day-to-day life spent caring for residents, hanging out with her co-worker and best friend, and teasing a potential new romance is disrupted by the arrival of Father Patrick, an African priest whom she recognizes from a terrifying episode in her homeland. As he further endears himself to the staff, Marie is forced to decide how to deal with this reminder of her troubled past.

In French with English subtitles.

“CRITIC’S PICK! In the assured hands of the writer-director Ellie Foumbi, Marie’s unraveling yields not only an absorbing psychological thriller, but a profound meditation on the ethics of immigration. Foumbi’s script provokes questions about our capacity for change and the absolution of past sins — all anchored to the charged political question of an immigrant’s worth.” Beatrice Loayza, The New York Times

“Ellie Foumbi’s explosive debut can’t be denied; neither can the performances here, notably the one from Sadjo, who cycles through a juggernaut of raw, intense emotions.” Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News