The Midwife (opens August 11th at the Capitol Theatre)

[THE MIDWIFE opens in Cleveland on Friday August 11th exclusively at the Capitol Theatre.]




Review by Zoe Brown

Martin Provost pairs up the grande dames of French cinema in the compelling character drama, THE MIDWIFE (Sage Femme). Appearing together for the first time on the silver screen, Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot portray Beatrice and Claire, women bound by the past, and linked again to reconcile in the present.

Claire, the reserved and lackluster midwife of a soon to be closing maternity clinic, is content with a routine life of delivering babies, gardening, and mothering her young adult son. The unexpected call from Beatrice disrupts Claire’s dull existence, begins the process of forgiveness and reconciliation between the two, and becomes the impetus for Claire to learn how to live freely.

The Wedding Plan (Now playing at the Cedar Lee Theatre)

[THE WEDDING PLAN is now playing in Cleveland exclusively at the Cedar Lee Theatre.]

Review by Zoe Brown

THE WEDDING PLAN offers a look inside the world of Orthodox Jewish dating, in which the matchmaking system functions to bring singles together for marriage. It also provides a peek into the heart and mind of Michal, a thirty-something Jewish woman living in Jerusalem who desperately wants to be loved and married.

Matchmaking for Michal (Noa Kooler) proved to be a little tricky; she’d been dating for 10 years without much luck. When she finally gets engaged, her fiancé, Gidi, calls it off a month before the ceremony, admitting that he really doesn’t love her. She’s distraught about it. And of course, her sister circle is there to pick up the pieces and provide her with all the love and support she needs.

Cezanne et Moi (May 5th, 6th, and 7th at the Cleveland Museum of Art Morley Lecture Hall)

[CEZANNE ET MOI screens Friday May 5th at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm, Saturday May 6th at 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm, and Sunday May 7th at 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm at the Cleveland Museum of Art Morley Lecture Hall.]

Review by Zoe Brown

Nineteenth-century France was an important period of the art world. From the romantic art movement to impressionism, and post-impressionism, and finally modern art, this period saw a shift in the way artists went about their craft. Underlying the main focus of Cezanne and Zola’s friendship, Danièlle Thompson’s CEZANNE ET MOI gives us a glimpse into the changing path of painting in France during the 19th century.

More than art history though, the film follows the friendship of the artists - painter Paul Cézanne (Guillaume Gallienne) and writer Emile Zola (Guillaume Canet) - from boyhood to their last days. The best moments of the film for me included scenes of their boyhood jaunts in Aix-en-Provence, France, with their other childhood companion, Baptistin Baille (Pierre Yvon). These scenes helped to establish a sense of their devotion to each other and what they referred to several times throughout the film as a brotherly genius. It also depicted how different their backgrounds were, Cezanne coming from wealth with Zola being less privileged. Of course, I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the scenery and how beautiful Aix-en-Provence was.