Alliance Française French Film Festival – Amanda

Presented from the point-of-view of David (Vincent Lacoste, In Bed with Victoria; Saint Amour, AF FFF2017)—symbiotically embodying French youth and earnest hope in the one character—Amanda unfurls as a family drama, although one that gets shaken to its core by a sudden violent act.

Described by Variety as having an “at once beautiful and wonky [face], shaped by mischief and worry, like a [Jean-Paul] Belmondo reflected in the surface of a choppy lake”, David is a carefree 20-something in the throes of a new romance with Lena (Stacy Martin, Redoubtable, AF FFF2018). He lives a carefree life until an incident abruptly forces him to assume the guardianship of his seven-year-old niece, Amanda (a revelatory turn by newcomer Isaure Multrier).

Collective mourning and its subsequent road to recovery, are given an all-too human face in Amanda, beautifully crafted through Lacoste’s performance. Amid the seriousness, this film is an exquisite valentine to the beauty and eccentricities of Paris, and will not fail to send hearts aflutter for those Francophiles who have such a love for this city and everything it offers.