2020 San Francisco International Film Festival revealed the full lineup, though the event itself was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
OH MERCY! (Roubaix, une lumière) (2019)
NAME OF FILM: OH MERCY!
DIRECTOR(S): Arnaud Desplechin
STARRING: Léa Seydoux, Sara Forestier, Roschdy Zem
GENRE: Crime Film
SYNOPSIS: In a change of pace from such recent kaleidoscopic knockouts as My Golden Years (NYFF53) and Ismael’s Ghosts (NYFF55), Arnaud Desplechin shows a different and no less impressive side of his mastery with this taut policier, based on a true murder case. The scene of the crime is Roubaix, the city in Northern France where Desplechin was born and where he’s set many of his films. Here, during a somber Christmas season, a middle-aged, French-Algerian detective is investigating the fatal strangulation of a poor, elderly woman in her apartment, with suspicion falling on her next-door neighbors, two young white women with a complicated interpersonal bond. Desplechin turns what might have been a lurid thriller into a work of engrossing psychological portraiture and socioeconomic inquiry that pays exquisite attention to the nuances of each remarkable performance, including Roschdy Zem as police captain Douad, and Léa Seydoux and Sara Forestier as the suspects.
PARASITE and STATE FUNERAL Top Film Comment’s 2019 End-of-Year Survey
Parasite took the top spot among films released in 2019 in Film Comment’s annual end-of-year survey, and State Funeral received the top rankings for non-distributed films.
JUST MERCY and KNIVES OUT Bookend 28th Philadelphia Film Festival Lineup
Destin Daniel Cretton’s JUST MERCY starring Michael B. Jordan will open the 28th Philadelphia Film Festival, with the outlandish mystery film, KNIVES OUT closing the festival.
Virginia Film Festival Announces 2019 Lineup – Harriet, Just Mercy, Western Stars, The Two Popes
The 32nd Virginia Film Festival will feature more than 150 films, including independent films along with hotly anticipated titles – Harriet, Just Mercy, Western Stars, Jojo Rabbit, Marriage Story, The Two Popes.
57th New York Film Festival Unveils Main Slate of 20 Films From Top Filmmakers
This year’s Main Slate of the 57th New York Film Festival, September 27 – October 13, showcases 29 films from 17 different countries.