DVD & Digital · EIFF23

DVD review: Passages

 Complicated romance has been at the core of writer and director Ira Sach’s work across his career and is revisited once again in indie drama Passages. Set in modern day Paris, the plot follows German filmmaker Tomas (Franz Rogowski) as he is finishing up on his latest feature. Feeling neglected by his husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) at the wrap party, he meets schoolteacher Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos) on the dancefloor and they share a night of passion. This tryst leads to a love triangle where the three wrestle with their evolving emotions.

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DVD & Digital

DVD review: Smoking Causes Coughing (Fumer Fait Tousser)

Poking fun at the superhero genre that has saturated cinemas in recent years, the latest effort from French auteur Quentin Dupieux centres around a very different assembly of avengers. Smoking Causes Coughing follows a group of five known as Tobacco Force, all individually named after harmful substances in cigarettes.

 When Benzène (Gilles Lellouche), Méthanol (Vincent Lacoste), Nicotine (Anaïs Demoustier), Mercure (Jean-Pascal Zadi), and Ammoniaque (Oulaya Amamra) defeat an evil turtle enemy in a particularly gruelling battle, the vigilantes are sent into the woods on a relaxing retreat to boost morale.

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DVD & Digital · GFF23

DVD review: The Five Devils

Collaborating with her partner and cinematographer Paul Guilhaume on the script, this is the second feature from French director Léa Mysius. Set in a picturesque alpine village, The Five Devils (Les cinq diables) centres around swimming instructor Joanne (Adèle Exarchopoulos) who is married to fireman Jimmy (Moustapha Mbengue), though they appear to be stuck in a rut. Their young daughter Vicky (Sally Dramé) has an unusually strong sense of smell, and secretly recreates scents in little jars that she stores in her bedroom. Tensions run high in the community when Jimmy’s sister Julia (Swala Emati) moves in with the family after being released from prison, and Vicky’s strange gift leads her to a shocking revelation.

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