Dans Paris

Romain Duris (The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Heartbreaker, Russian Dolls, Le Péril jeune) plays Paul, a man who moves back in with his father after a painful breakup with his girlfriend. Meanwhile his younger brother Jonathan (Louis Garrel), also living with his father (Guy Marchand), slowly reveals a deep wound underlying his womanizing exploits. Both Paul's father and brother help to support him, attempting to alleviate his unbearable depression and stop him dwelling on his relationship.

Christophe Honoré, who directed Garrel again a year later in Les Chansons d'Amour, wonderfully weaves the light and dark moments of the film, setting off the solemn moments against the light-hearted and comical ones. But perhaps the most crucial element holding the film together is the two brothers with their contrasting lifestyles and character, brilliantly brought to life by two of France's leading film talents: Romain Duris and Louis Garrel.

Honoré's Paris-set drama evokes the spirit of the Nouvelle Vague, with its playfulness, profundity and exuberance, while cementing its two male leads as among the finest actors in contemporary French cinema. The film by no means lives in the past, as it focuses on the modern-day environment of Paris and its inhabitants.

Along with The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Dans Paris paints an exciting portrait of the city, and is arguably one of the best dramas to emerge from France in the last decade.

For those who love deeply moving films that explore the universal themes of family and loss, Dans Paris is one to cherish.