With her first film in a decade, the fearless 75-year-old French auteur, Catherine Breillat, proves she’s as provocative as ever with her Cannes-stirring film, which drives down the dark road of uncontrollable passion. A remarkably nuanced, radiant Léa Drucker plays Anne, an attorney who has plateaued in her marriage to Pierre (Olivier Rabourdin), a distracted businessman. His son, troubled seventeen-year-old Theo (Samuel Kircher), from a previous marriage, has recently returned to Pierre’s ineffectual and despondent care. When Pierre leaves town for a business trip, Anne and Théo — confined under the same roof for the first time — find themselves in the throes of an unexpected and dangerously lustful affair, threatening the stability of the household. Music by Kim Gordon heightens the erotic tension of LAST SUMMER, a film that boldly surveys power dynamics, female desire, and fulfillment.

Part of our series, Un Bouquet de Breillat.

In French with English subtitles.

CRITIC’S PICK! “Last Summer is complex, tricky, at times very uncomfortable and thoroughly engrossing.” Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“A family drama as masterfully propulsive as a horror movie.” Alison Willmore, Vulture

“Last Summer is my favorite of Breillat’s movies to date, because its allegiance to aesthetics collides with its story in a way that feels bracingly confrontational and unrepentant.” Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic

Filmed in 1976 but not released until 2000, A REAL YOUNG GIRL is Catherine Breillat’s taboo-busting directorial debut and one of the boldest explorations of female sexuality ever committed to celluloid. In adapting her own novel, Breillat unflinchingly depicts the dark desires of Alice (Charlotte Alexandra), a rural adolescent whose uninhibited sexual experimentation troubles her parents (Rita Maiden and Bruno Balp) and augurs doom for her first lover (Hiram Keller). Originally withheld from theaters due to censorship concerns, the film proved itself to be not only ahead of its time but also an audacious trial run for Breillat’s core strategies and themes, including the connection between transgressive fantasy and sober reality.

Part of our series, Un Bouquet de Breillat.

In French with English subtitles.

“A surreal voyage into adolescent sexuality… A Real Young Girl perches dizzily and drowsily on the boundary between reality and fantasy.” A.O. Scott, The New York Times

After a nine-year absence from the director’s chair, Catherine Breillat returned with 36 FILLETTE, having lost none of her power to push both boundaries and buttons. Delphine Zentout plays Lili, a precocious fourteen-year-old girl on a seaside family vacation. Drawn to a bitter middle-aged man (Étienne Chicot), Lili longs to lose her virginity and initiates a contest of wills in which she discovers herself more mature than, but still rattled by the equivocations of, her chauvinistic counterpart. Fueled by an extraordinary performance by then-sixteen-year-old Zentout, and featuring a scene-stealing Jean-Pierre Léaud as Lili’s brief confidant, 36 FILLETTE showcases Breillat as an incisive chronicler of the subtle evolutions of teenage desire.

Part of our series, Un Bouquet de Breillat.

In French with English subtitles.

“36 Fillette rings so true that to watch it is like eavesdropping on life. French director Catherine Breillat’s film of her own novel is so fresh and incisive, so poignant yet funny, that its coming-of-age story unfolds as if it were the first of its kind.” Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Catherine Breillat traces the shockingly violent disintegration of a May-December affair in PERFECT LOVE, arguably her most realistic and disturbing study of romance gone wrong. When twice-divorced optician Frédérique (Isabelle Renauld) falls for the much younger Christophe (Francis Renaud), whose insecurity is matched only by his unconscious need for manipulation and control, she eventually becomes addicted to their toxic relationship. Once more demonstrating a superlative ear for dialogue and a preternatural ability to elicit thunderous performances, Breillat delves into the psychological roots and consequences of codependency with the unflinching courage that has become her trademark.

Part of our series, Un Bouquet de Breillat.

In French with English subtitles.

Named One of the Ten Great Neglected Feature Films of the Nineties by Manohla Dargis (Film Comment).

“The performances are unsentimental, the tone uncompromising … There’s no denying its emotional punch or the intelligence of its dark insights.” Geoff Andrew, Time Out

25th anniversary!

Catherine Breillat’s landmark film ROMANCE placed her as an audacious boundary-pushing female auteur, establishing her as a provocateur who opened the doors to women directors taking charge of their own sexual ideals and imagery. This is the tale of a beautiful woman’s frustration with the lack of intimacy in her relationship, who seeks out sexual adventures in order to spark the interest of her lover, a self-absorbed male model. This new HD version of the critically acclaimed and commercial hit reminds viewers of Breillat’s fierce intensity in confronting sexuality with a raw honesty rarely seen.

Part of our series, Un Bouquet de Breillat.

In French with English subtitles.

“Romance can’t be easily shrugged off. Breillat and her brave actors take us places we haven’t been… For those who believe that movies are a proper place to explore the riddle of sex, no holds barred, this movie is de rigueur. For the rest, be warned.” David Ansen, Newsweek

Twelve-year-old Anaïs is fat. Her sister, fifteen-year-old Elena, is a beauty. While the girls are on vacation with their parents, Anaïs tags along as Elena explores the dreary seaside town. Elena meets Fernando, an Italian law student; he seduces her with promises of love, and the ever watchful Anaïs bears witness to the corruption of her sister’s innocence. FAT GIRL is not only a portrayal of female adolescent sexuality and the complicated bond between siblings, but also a shocking assertion by the always controversial Catherine Breillat that violent oppression exists at the core of male-female relations.

Part of our series, Un Bouquet de Breillat.

In French with English subtitles.

“A strange, discomfiting and fascinating film about the horrors of adolescence.” Manohla Dargis, L.A.  Weekly

“This is not a film softened and made innocuous by timid studio executives after ‘test screenings.’ There is a jolting surprise in discovering that this film has free will, and can end as it wants, and that its director can make her point, however brutally.” Roger Ebert

Catherine Breillat’s behind-the-scenes account of shooting FAT GIRL stars Anne Parillaud as Breillat surrogate Jeanne, a director intent on getting her film’s most intimate sequence just right—even if it means alternately coaxing and battling her fragile, needy young actors (Grégoire Colin and Roxane Mesquida, virtually recreating her role from FAT GIRL). Once again exploring her signature obsessions, Breillat uses this metafictional format to investigate the ethical responsibilities of the artist, the messy logistics of running a set, and the slippery nature of realism, as applied to one of filmmaking’s most challenging ordeals: the simulated sex scene. Culminating in one actor’s ribald high jinks with a body prosthetic and another’s breakthrough into shattering emotional territory, SEX IS COMEDY is Breillat’s heady, brilliant synthesis of the ridiculous and the sublime.

Part of our series, Un Bouquet de Breillat.

In French with English subtitles.

“Breillat’s first foray into comedy is playful, whip-smart and far breezier in both tone and look than the stylized gender polemics she’s known for.” Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times

“One of the greatest movies about moviemaking… For Breillat, sex reveals the soul along with the body, baring the actors’ very sense of identity; the drama, based on her own directorial experiences, is both self-revealing and self-accusing.” Richard Brody, The New Yorker

Inspired by director Catherine Breillat’s true life experiences, ABUSE OF WEAKNESS is an exploration of power and sex. Isabelle Huppert stars as Maud, a strong-willed filmmaker who suffers a stroke. Bedridden, but determined to pursue her latest film project, she sees Vilko (Kool Shen), a con man who swindles celebrities, on a TV talk show. Interested in him for her new film, the two meet and Maud soon finds herself falling for Vilko’s manipulative charm as their parasitic relationship hurdles out of control.

Part of our series, Un Bouquet de Breillat.

In French with English subtitles.

“This is a work just as startling and potent as anything [Breillat] has done to date—a powerful example of art being used to exorcise personal demons that is anchored by two stunning performances and some of the most gripping moments to be seen in any film so far this year.” Peter Sobczynski, RogerEbert.com