Little White Lies

Les petits mouchoirs

France

2010

154 Min

Color

2.35:1

French

Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
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CAST Marion Cotillard, François Cluzet, Benoît Magimel, Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Louise Monot, Edouard Montoute, Pascale Arbillot, Laurent Lafitte, Eric Naggar, Maxim Nucci

SOUND Pierre Gamet

Toronto (Gala), London (French Revolutions), Belfast (New Cinema)

Synopsis

Guillaume Canet has assembled an outstanding cast of some of France’s finest actors – headed by the incandescent, Academy Award®-winning Marion Cotillard – to make an entertaining and acutely observed drama of manners. A group gathering is hosted every year by a couple at their beautiful beach house where they kick-off their summer vacation by celebrating the birthday of one of the gang. Fun, fine wine and seafood mix with sun and sand as they all leave their city stresses and inhibitions behind.

But this year is different. One of them is badly injured in a serious motorcycle accident just as they are about to leave Paris for their seaside reunion. His friends flock to his bedside, where their unconscious pal is still alive but in intensive care. What to do? Stay in Paris to be by his side, or leave for their vacation having been assured that there is nothing they can do? By the time they return he should be conscious and up for visitors. After some intense discussion, they decide to head off for enjoyment and relaxation. Over the course of the next week, all the tensions within this group erupt into full daylight.

One of them, happily married, finds to his great surprise that he is wildly attracted to one of his best friends, a man. Claiming he’s not gay, he upsets his friend and stirs the suspicions of his loving and loyal wife, who wonders what’s amiss. The others all have similar challenges and issues, as a veritable stew of raging hormones and frustrations bubbles to the surface. Some run into old lovers, while others pine for lovers who have no time for them anymore. Through a succession of incidents, the group is pulled apart and dragged together by their ties of loyalty and marriage. –TIFF.net

Director

Guillaume Canet

Guillaume Canet (born 10 April 1973) is a French actor and film director.

Canet began his career in theatre and television before moving to film. He starred in several films like Joyeux Noël, Love Me If You Dare and The Beach. In 2006, he turned to writing and directing with Tell No One and won a César Award for Best Director.

Canet has also received attention because of his personal life. He was formerly married to actress Diane Kruger. After they divorced he began a relationship with Marion Cotillard that was closely followed by the media.

Canet was born in Boulogne-Billancourt on 10 April 1973 to a family of horse breeders. Canet intended to become a show jumper and performed with the junior French National Equestrian Team. However, after a fall from his horse at age 18 he turned to acting and enrolled in the Cours Florent drama school. In 1994 he appeared in the Théâtre Hébertot production of La ville dont le prince est… read more

Guillaume Canet (born 10 April 1973) is a French actor and film director.

Canet began his career in theatre and television before moving to film. He starred in several films like Joyeux Noël, Love Me If You Dare and The Beach. In 2006, he turned to writing and directing with Tell No One and won a César Award for Best Director.

Canet has also received attention because of his personal life. He was formerly married to actress Diane Kruger. After they divorced he began a relationship with Marion Cotillard that was closely followed by the media.

Canet was born in Boulogne-Billancourt on 10 April 1973 to a family of horse breeders. Canet intended to become a show jumper and performed with the junior French National Equestrian Team. However, after a fall from his horse at age 18 he turned to acting and enrolled in the Cours Florent drama school. In 1994 he appeared in the Théâtre Hébertot production of La ville dont le prince est un enfant with Christophe Malavoy. After working in various television shows and commercials, Canet made his film debut in the short film Fils unique.

In 1997 he appeared in the thriller film Barracuda for which he won a prix d’interprétation (best actor award) at the Festival Saint-Jean-de-Luz in 1999. The same year he was nominated for a César Award for his role as Vincent Mazet in the comedy film En plein cœur. He then traveled abroad to film Danny Boyle’s The Beach. After completing The Beach, Canet starred opposite Sophie Marceau in La fidélité and in Jerry Schatzberg’s The Day the Ponies Come Back.

In 2002, Canet starred with Gérard Depardieu in the science fiction film Vidocq. He also directed and wrote his first feature film the same year, Mon idole, which also starred his wife Diane Kruger. In 2003, he appeared opposite Marion Cotillard in Yann Samuell’s Love Me If You Dare which became a sleeper hit. Canet next appeared in the international production Joyeux Noël which tells the story of the World War I Christmas cease fire. The film—which also featured Kruger—was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Canet released his second feature film in 2006, Tell No One, an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name. Tell No One was the ninth top grossing French film of 2006 and went on to win four César awards, including a César Award for Best Director for Canet. –Wikipedia

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