Lost Illusions (2021)
Lost Illusions
”A young writer's dreams are corrupted by the press and elite in 19th century Paris.”
Available at home
Rent or Buy
Trailer
Why watch this film?
"Illusions perdues" is considered Balzac's best novel and this cinematic adaptation, directed by Xavier Giannoli ("The Apparition"), is a very honest work - perhaps just a bit too long. The film has a good dynamic, manages to awaken various emotions and makes a very well-founded parallel between the 19th century and the present day, when talking about spreading fake news, media and society control, in the field of who influences who - something similar to social networks. The story follows Lucien de Rubempré (Benjamin Voisin), a young man full of dreams who goes to Paris to show his art and ends up frustrated with the disappointments of adult life. The film made its debut at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival.
Filmelier
Our suggestions
Plot summary
Venice Festival. Based on Balzac's masterpiece, this is the story of the rise and fall of Rubempré, an ambitious young writer in 19th century Paris whose dreams are corrupted by the press and elite of the time.
To share
Do you want to watch something different?
Watch full movies now!
Press play and be surprised!
Where to watch?
Available at home
From the same director
Marguerite
A movie about determination and courage to pursue one's dreams, even when they seem the furthest away possible. A French dramedy that, inspired by the true story of British Florence Foster Jenkins, builds a new and fascinating narrative. Awarded at the Venice Film Festival and winner of four César Awards.
The Apparition
An intriguing movie, directed by Xavier Giannoli ("Marguerite") and starred by Vincent Lindon (star of movies like "The Value of a Man" and "Rodin"). The story is based on religion, starting when a girl sees the Virgin Mary. Miracle? Fraud? Whether it is any of these cases, the event ends up bringing a series of consequences in the girl's life, the village's and the Church as a whole. Despite being long, the movie brings all the duality between faith and science, between believing and knowing, something that makes us reflect.
Drama
Raspberries with Mustard
Meeri Ehrlich, 13 years old has three problems. First: She is in love - with the wrong person - and has butterflies in her tummy. Second: Her mother passed away and she misses her a lot. Third: her father - owner of a funeral home - is looking for a new partner. But Meeri has something that is only hers, something very special - she can fly.
Underdog
In its effort to raise awareness about the precarious social reality of certain sectors of the population, Mexican cinema tends to fall into miserabilism (or so-called "poverty porn"), whether in documentaries or fiction. The quest of Mexican cinema for new creative and narrative horizons is ongoing, and in the case of Underdog (Correr para vivir), director and co-writer Gerardo Dorantes opts for what, in its conventions, is an action and crime thriller extrapolated to the context of the Rarámuri (or Tarahumara) indigenous people of northern Mexico, famous for their running tradition (and their extraordinary talent for it). The plot follows two brothers: Omero (Vladimir Rivera), who dreams of being a runner; and Capó (Manuel Cruz Vivas), who is more talented but also troubled. Both are dragged into a life of service to the drug trade when Capó, in an attempt to provide for his pregnant girlfriend, fails in a cocaine delivery. To be honest, it's a good attempt to steer Mexican cinema towards other directions that are not the typical exploitation of social dramas or anthropological documentaries. However, the film ends up falling into the same vices, representing Rarámuri culture from a superficial and idealized exoticism, creating entertainment from a real social context with little sensitivity.
Downtown Owl
'Downtown Owl' - Searching for a break from her cosmopolitan life in Milwaukee, Julia Rabia (Lily Rabe), arrives in the closeknit Reagan-era town of Owl, North Dakota for a one-semester high school teaching job. But when the small town turns out to be a wonderland of second-string poets, smoldering Marlboro Men, and a social hierarchy that echoes high school, Julia doesn't know if she's come to town to get away from home or to find it. Ed Harris, Vanessa Hudgens, Henry Golding, and Finn Wittrock also star in this Great Plains dark dramedy directed by Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater. Based on the novel by Chuck Klosterman.
Baby
After his release from a juvenile center, Wellington finds himself homeless in São Paulo. At a porn theater, he meets Ronaldo, who mentors him in street survival. Their bond evolves into a turbulent affair.
