LE MARAIS
dir-scr Gus Van Sant
with Gaspard Ulliel, Elias McConnell, Marianne Faithfull
TUILERIES
dir-scr Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
with Steve Buscemi, Julie Bataille, Axel Kiener
LOIN DU 16e
dir-scr Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas
with Catalina Sandino Moreno

Lullaby: Sandino Moreno

PORTE DE CHOISY
dir Christopher Doyle
scr Christopher Doyle, Gabrielle Keng Peralta, Rain Kathy Li
with Barbet Schroeder, Li Xin
BASTILLE
dir-scr Isabel Coixet
with Sergio Castellitto, Miranda Richardson, Leonor Watling
PLACE DES VICTOIRES
dir-scr Nobuhiro Suwa
with Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Hippolyte Girardot
TOUR EIFFEL
dir-scr Sylvain Chomet
with Paul Putner, Yolande Moreau PARC MONCEAU
dir-scr Alfonso Cuaron
with Nick Nolte, Ludivine Sagnier, Sara Martins

QUARTIER LATIN
dir Frederic Auburtin, Gerard Depardieu
scr Gena Rowlands
with Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Gerard Depardieu
14e ARRONDISSEMENT
dir Alexander Payne
scr Alexander Payne, Nadine Eid
with Margo Martindale

CANNES FILM FEST
TORONTO FILM FEST

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Each story takes its title from a section of Paris, exploring relationships from every conceivable angle. Many involve encounters with strangers (on the street in Montmartre and in a shop in Le Marais), others feature longer-term relationships (love lost in Bastille, older-younger in Parc Monceau, professional-personal in Pigalle, an engaged couple in P‚àö√£re-Lachaise, the embers of marriage in Quartier Latin), and some explore people who are building something unusual (mimes in Tour Eiffel, vampires in Quartier de la Madeleine, opposites in Faubourg Saint-Denis).

Two of the most entertaining shorts focus on tourists interacting with the city itself (Buscemi in Tuileries and Martindale in 14e Arrondissement), while others tellingly address social issues (bigotry in Quais de Seine, class in Loin du 16e, culture in Porte de Choisy, grief in Place des Victoires, drugs in Quartier des Enfants Rouges, violence in Place des FÍtes).

The technically most audacious are Cuar√õn's single take (of course!) and Natali's striking comic-book sheen. The most engaging are Chadha's French-Arab teen romance, Assayas' what-if look at an intriguing relationship, and Payne's wacky-then-moving travelogue. The most powerful is Schmitz's swirling look at the aftermath of a crime. The simplest and best segment is Salles and Thomas' gentle and touching cross-town vignette, hinging on a knock-out performance from Sandino Moreno.

On the other hand, some of them don't really work, such as Doyle's goofy romp between a businessman and a hairdresser, Suwa's overemotional look at a mother's extreme pain, and Craven's slightly silly visit to Oscar Wilde's grave. Although even those segments feature strong acting.

What's intriguing is how well they flow together. Each element is short enough to tell its little story and get away, so even if we're annoyed or bored, we don't have to wait long. It's like a series of little discoveries, each observing something about the city and human nature.

themes, language, drugs, some violence, sexuality

13.Feb.07