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Films

What are your favourite French films?

163 replies

AlpacaTheBags · 30/03/2026 19:35

I love world cinema especially French but it’s been a few years since I’ve really been able to enjoy films regularly and I want to return to enjoying French cinema. I’d appreciate any recommendations. It doesn’t matter if I’ve seen them so I won’t list them here because it’ll remind me of how much I loved them and to watch them again.

TIA

OP posts:
Fiddlesticks1 · 30/03/2026 22:53

La cage aux folles.
Jacque Tati films always funny and very clever.

Shrinkhole · 30/03/2026 22:53

What about the 3 colours trilogy (blue, white red) especially Blue with Juliette Binoche. I was obsessed with her as a 90s student.

Fgfgfg · 30/03/2026 22:57

Anything by Jean-Pierre Jeunet...
Delicatessen
Micmacs
Amelie

La Haine
Les Rivieres Pourpres

tobee · 30/03/2026 22:58

L’Atalante (1934)
La Grande Illusion (1937)
Le Havre (2011)
Être et Avoir (2002)

spring to mind.

Not a film but the tv series of Maigret with Bruno Cremer - French language version

Nitgel · 30/03/2026 22:59

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 30/03/2026 21:48

Cachet (Hidden), swimming pool, police. Any Daniel Auteil or Depardieu film.

There was one made mid 80s/90s with Depardieu where they both end up dead at the bottom of a staircase after an affair but I’ve forgotten the name. Typical French drama though.

And le tchis (the sticks), very funny.

Was that The Woman Next Door?

Last Metro is good.

There was quite a few good French films on bfi player.

Heartbreaker is good with the actor from Populaire

Nitgel · 30/03/2026 23:02

Romain Duris is his name! The Big Picture us another of his that comes to mind.so many foof french films. The BBC used to show a lot on Sunday nights. Not anymore

Allonthesametrain · 30/03/2026 23:02

La vie en rose. Sorry, can't see what I'm typing so hipe this comes across. Also can't edit. Xx

AlpacaTheBags · 30/03/2026 23:03

Allonthesametrain · 30/03/2026 23:02

La vie en rose. Sorry, can't see what I'm typing so hipe this comes across. Also can't edit. Xx

It did. Thank you so much. That’s definitely going on the list.

OP posts:
JennyChawleigh · 30/03/2026 23:05

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

HighRocks · 30/03/2026 23:06

Hors de Prix - really lovely charming funny and stylish film. One of my favourites.

The Intouchables.

I’ve Loved You So Long.

Dreamingofdaffodils · 30/03/2026 23:07

Les Choristes and The Intouchables are two absolutely brilliant films to watch if you’ve not seen them yet

CoffeeAndCakeBringMeJoy · 30/03/2026 23:10

Au revoir les enfants
Les Choristes
Amélie
Mon père ce héros
Bienvenue chez les ch’tis
Populaire
Mauvaises fréquentations (1999; there is apparently more than one film with that name). This one is more for the nostalgia for me than the film quality, as I was living in France as a student at the time.

Latenightreader · 30/03/2026 23:13

I loved Crustacés & Coquillages - I remember it being very funny.

Theextraordinaryisintheordinary · 30/03/2026 23:14

Betty Blue

ACIGC · 30/03/2026 23:16

A La Folie... Pas Du Tout is very clever
Etre et Avoir
Entre Les Murs

There's another that I'm absolutely racking my brains over and google isn't helping but it's do with a woman and her kid who is thought to be the reincarnation of a kid who died in an accident.

Soundofshuna · 30/03/2026 23:17

Jean de Florette and Manon des sources

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 30/03/2026 23:17

Apologies I'm on a roll but I saw 'Smoking Causes Coughing' recently - brilliant absurdist comedy.

Theextraordinaryisintheordinary · 30/03/2026 23:18

And the Three Colours trilogy

waltzingparrot · 30/03/2026 23:19

The Hairdresser's Husband
Populaire
Diva
Betty Blue
I've loved you so long
Etre etc Avoir

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 30/03/2026 23:19

Grandes Belleville Rendezvous is a lovely animation.
Serial bad weddings - can't remember the French title

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 30/03/2026 23:21

And not forgetting 'Chacun cherche son chat'

converseandjeans · 30/03/2026 23:24

I watched Eric Rohmer Pauline at the beach not long ago on BFI and it was great. Lots of cliches about France in the 80s.

On Netflix Nothing to Hide & Bad Seeds are decent.

La Haine, Amelie & Au revoir les enfants are all good.

Audrey Tatou is always good & I like He Loves Me He Loves Me Not.

Koulibiak · 30/03/2026 23:27

Lots have been mentioned already, I would second Jean de Florette/Manon des sources, Caché (and anything by Michael Heneke), Amélie, Nikita, Le grand bleu, le bonheur est dans le pré, Ascenseur pour l’échafaud, La belle et la bête, Les diaboliques.

My favourite movie of all time is Les enfants du paradis, it’s long and old but absolutely beautiful and seminal. And makes you think about (I) how movies used to be made before CGI and (II) how little progress women have made in a century. The heroin is a kick ass goddess.

Anything with Fabrice Lucchini, he is hilarious and the most unlikely sex symbol.

Movies by Claude Lelouch (Les uns et les autres, Tout ça pour ça).

La Reine Margot (Isabelle Adjani)

L’été meurtrier (Adjani again)

La petite voleuse (Charlotte Gainsbourg), La Boum (Sophie Marceau), Les nuits Fauves (Cyril Collard and Romane Bohringer) - all three if you want to reimagine yourself as a French teenager in the 80s

Chacun cherche son chat

Au Petit Marguery

Also consider branching out to French Canadian movies (with subtitles if needed). Maybe start with Denys Arcand - Le déclin de l’empire américain, Jesus de Montréal and Xavier Dolan - Mommy, J’ai tué ma mère, Tom à la ferme.

Mountainormolehills · 30/03/2026 23:28

There’s also the Horseman on the roof and Queen Margot, both historical romance and gore films

deltapanda · 30/03/2026 23:29

JennyChawleigh · 30/03/2026 23:05

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Can’t believe I had to scroll so far for someone to mention this one!

Incredible film.