Ava Cahen

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Annie Hall

A man and a woman, ups and downs, New York and Los Angeles, a lobster and a spider, sex and death. It is a romantic comedy which diverts all the codes of the romantic comedy, which breaks the chronology of the events. It is the story of a failure in love, and in this story there is everything: joy, sorrow, the unexpected, passion, weariness. Diane Keaton is wonderful, her smile and playfulness are unforgettable. Then "La-di-da".

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

This is one of my favorite American musicals, the singing turns of the two divas (Monroe/Russell) are fabulous, it's witty, spicy but never cynical, it's bubbly like champagne. It is a film that puts a smile on your face, Monroe is irresistible, like the diamond tiara that her character covets!

Cléo from 5 to 7

I must have been a child when I first saw this film. I remember having a strong feeling of admiration for Cléo, played by Corinne Marchand. The waiting, the fear of death, the singing, the love, the chance, the wandering, the strolls through the city, the film is about all that. It's unique, it's inspired and still today it inspires cinema and young filmmakers. Masterpiece.

Alien

Eternal thrills! Portrait of a woman who must face different kind of predators, whether human, humanoid or alien. A woman full of courage who will be the only survivor of this bloody journey into space. Ripley is certainly one of my favorite heroines. She steals the show from the killer and libidinous creature she's stalking. Her terror becomes our terror, but her power also becomes our power.

The Piano

The image of Ada (Holly Hunter) on the beach, her black umbrella in her hand, her daughter on her lap, her piano on the sand, is unforgettable. Every shot in this film evokes painting. Every image in this film is a shock. We go through all the emotions, it is a tortured film, a tale about emancipation, passion, about fantasies.

Jaws

This is one of my favorite Spielberg movies, everything is there: the adventure, the thrill, the black humour, the blue, the red, the vision of a narrow-minded America where insecurity and selfishness reign. It's so powerful and so bold, very inventive and exciting, and it is full of cult lines ("You're gonna need a bigger boat"). It's more or less a masculine film – Spielberg makes a gang film, a film about friendship between men, men from different backgrounds who have to stick together against a bloodthirsty shark and crooked politicians.

PEAU D'ÂNE

The music of Michel Legrand, the wise advice of the fairy played by Delphine Seyrig, the dress colour of time, the recipe of the cake of love, the ring, the prince, love at the end of the tale. It is fabulous. Both romantic and disturbing.

Tacones lejanos

Almodóvar is not afraid to show his tastes and (p)references: Sirk, Hitchcock, Bergman…

There is the seriousness of a drama and the humour of a sitcom, plus a police plot, different registers and tones that blend together. It is about love, motherhood, abandonment and guilt. The characters are amazing, the dialogues are surprising and the score is very powerfull.

Psycho

I could have mentioned The Birds or Notorious, but Psycho remains one of Hitchcock's most intriguing films to my eyes. It is a double portrait of a young woman on the run and of a disturbed young man whose sexual impulses turn into murderous ones. Of course, the shower scene immediately comes to mind: the editing, the knife, the music, the lifeless eye of the heroine, the blood mixing with the water. It's a truly terrifying sequence, even today.

SHOWGIRLS

It is a delirious film which dares all the excesses. Nomi Malone is a true goddess, a lost girl who will reach the heights and flirt with fake gods before letting them down. I like the excessiveness of the film, its irony, its second degree, but also, under the varnish, what it denounces, notably the violence of men towards women.