14 French Movies to Best Learn About Various French Cultures

La Vie en Rose tells the true story of the French singing icon Édith Piaf. This musical film chronicle the key events in this woman’s life. From her difficult childhood where her mother left her with her father to become an artist, to her affair with the French national boxer Marcel Cerdan, and her morphine addiction, you will learn a lot about her life which was very short-lived since she died at the young age of 47. The sad story of this world-renowned singer is heart-wrenching but Marion Cotillard’s performance is incredible. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe for Best Actress, a César for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and other awards.

Va, Vis et Deviens is a French drama film set in Ethiopia. The mother of Schlomo, a young Ethiopian boy, gives him away to a Jewish woman who lost her son to save him during Operation Moses in 1984. He leaves Ethiopia with his adoptive mother and lives his life in Israel, carrying the secret of his real identity. Operation Moses was an operation where approximately 8,000 Ethiopian Jews were transported to Israel. Since Ethiopian Jews were forbidden to leave Ethiopia, the Israeli government had to keep the operation clandestine. This great film about an important part of the Jewish and African history will allow you to learn more about an important event that maybe you didn’t know about.

This Quebec drama film tells the story of Bashir Lazhar, an Algerian refugee living in Montreal, who claims to have a teaching degree from Algeria after an elementary school teacher hangs herself and the school needs a quick replacement. Lazhar learns how to coexist with his students even though there is an evident culture gap between them. His students have no idea about his difficult past in Algeria, where his wife and children died in an arson attack because of his wife’s controversial book. The students warm up to Lazhar and end up liking him a lot and one student, Simon, confides in him since he blames himself for the teacher’s suicide. This film was critically acclaimed internationally. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.