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Volume 2 continues to showcase landmark films that redefined the boundaries of cinema at the turn of the millennium. This provocative selection of four films dives deep into the flesh, psyche, and taboo, unearthing the most primal corners of the human experience
DOBERMANN explodes with kinetic violence and dark humor, while FAT GIRL ignites controversy and conversation with its chilling honesty and haunting final act - a film as intimate as it is incendiary.
IN MY SKIN is a harrowing descent into self-mutilation and corporeal obsession, crafting a body horror classic as much psychological as it is physical, and TWENTYNINE PALMS is a bleak, hypnotic road film that strips down language, desire, and identity in the desolate American West, culminating in one of the most disturbing finales in modern cinema.
DOBERMANN
European screen legends Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci star in DOBERMANN, a high-octane urban western based on the graphic novel by Joel Houssin.
Yann Lepetrec, Le Dobermann, Public Enemy Number 1.
He is a modern cowboy with roots in the French tradition of criminals. Without ideological motivation, the hero is pure adrenaline, invariably pursuing danger, wherever it might be. He leads a gang of maniacs known for their garish and efficient assaults on banks, in defiance to the capacity of the police.
Directed by Jan Kounen
FAT GIRL
Continuing her provocative and bold tradition, Catherine Breillat’s FAT GIRL (À MA SOEUR!) is an unflinchingly harsh but powerful look at female adolescence.
Anaïs is twelve and bears the weight of the world on her shoulders. She watches her older sister, Elena, whom she both loves and hates. Elena is fifteen and devilishly beautiful. Neither more futile, nor more stupid than her younger sister, she cannot understand that she is merely an object of desire. And, as such, she can only be taken. Or had. Indeed, this is the subject: a girl’s loss of virginity. And, that summer, it opens a door to tragedy.
Directed by Catherine Breillat
IN MY SKIN
A film to truly get under your skin, Marina de Van’s IN MY SKIN (DANS MA PEAU) is a powerful, shocking rumination on the connection to one’s own body, and life as a woman.
Esther’s life is panning out nicely. She will soon move in with her boyfriend Vincent and she seems set to get a permanent position at the public relations company where she freelances. All would be fine if Esther didn’t accidentally discover a piercing curiosity about her own body. How deep must she cut to discover the truth?
Directed by Marina de Van
TWENTYNINE PALMS
David is an independent American photographer in pursuit of unspoiled natural locations for an upcoming magazine photoshoot. Katia is his unemployed Russian girlfriend, who would follow him anywhere because she is in love. Their trip consists of passionate encounters and frequent fights, but this seemingly empty relationship takes a dark turn when a brutal incident abruptly ends their journey.
Written and Directed by Bruno Dumont (Flanders), TWENTYNINE PALMS combines French Extremity and American road movie genres to question not only what is on screen, but also the very nature of reality.
DOBERMANN
FAT GIRL (À MA SOEUR)
NEW! An Unappealing Appetite for Sexual Maturity: Zoe Rose Smith on Fat GirlNEW! Such Devoted Sisters: Nadine Whitney on Sibling Rivalry and Sexuality in A Ma Soeur and Catherine Breillat's FilmographyNEW! Aesthetics of Cruelty: Damon Smith Interviews Catherine Breillat for Reverse Shot
IN MY SKIN
NEW! The Body Canvas: Willow Maclay on In My Skin
TWNETYNINE PALMS
NEW! The Neurodiverse Cinema of Bruno Dumont with Martyn Conterio