GERRINGONG PICS AND FLICKS

Macadam Stories Rating: M Length: 100 mins Cast: Gustave Kervern, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Isabelle Huppert, Michael Pitt Director and author Samuel Benchetrit brings much of his autobiographical book Asphalt Chronicles to the screen as Macadam Stories, a series of interconnected vignettes set in a public housing complex on the outskirts of Paris. With a focus on six characters, we meet the penny-pinching loaner Sternkowitz (Gustave Kervern from In The Courtyard – Festival 2015), who forges an unlikely relationship with a night nurse (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi). In another thread, inquisitive adolescent Charly (the director’s son Jules Benchetrit) and Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert), an ageing movie star, form a bond that changes them both for the better. In the final instalment, American astronaut, John McKenzie (Michael Pitt) accidentally lands on the apartment of a migrant, Mrs Hamida, and the pair communicate through fractured French while NASA busily stages a cover up.

GENRE:   Documentary DIRECTOR:   Agnès Varda DURATION:   89 Mins COUNTRIES:   France "Marking a long-awaited return to filmmaking in the year of her 90th birthday, Face Places sees iconic filmmaker Agnès Varda forging an unexpected collaboration with photographer JR as they embark on a road trip like no other. The two artists share a passion for images and how they’re created, displayed and shared; Varda through cinema, JR through his emotionally arresting outdoor installations. Inspired by this connection, they set out in JR’s photo booth-enhanced truck, exploring the villages and small towns of rural France and meeting its humble residents – all the while creating large-scale portraits plastered across unconventional locations. What follows is a heart-warming insight into unnamed communities, documented here in Varda’s typically playful and tender manner. A Cannes Film Festival award-winner and Academy Award nominee, Faces Places is a deeply charming and l