A Paris Education

Would certainly imagine this French film, written and directed by Jean Paul Civeyrac, will only appeal to a certain slice of cinephile. At nearly two and a half hours in length and beautifully shot in black and white, the movie follows the journey of Etienne (Andranic Manet) as he leaves his girlfriend and family behind in Lyon to travel to attend film school in Paris.

The film is heavily dialogue driven and, at times, can seem pretentious or intellectually moralizing but there's plenty of interesting discussions as well on movies, literature, and the human condition. It was engaging enough for me to want to see what would happen to the young protagonist as he grappled with relationships, career, and his own self doubts.

Overall, as mentioned, the movie will not appeal to everyone but for those that like these types of French films that make your brain cells work, I believe there are some rewards to be found here.