This week's English films at Chamonix Cinema Vox

Life During Wartime is the only film playing at Chamonix Cinema Vox in the original English version (V/O) with French subtitles this week – the cinema is closed June 2-June 26th. Please see the cinema programme for times of showings.

LIFE DURING WARTIME

The story is about three sisters' search for happiness: Trish is separated from her incarcerated paedophile husband Bill, and hoping for a new life with Harvey, when her husband is released from prison; virginal Joy is haunted by ghosts of her dead lovers; while Helen lives a life of empty Hollywood wealth with her lover.

Director Todd Solodz drew on his New Jersey upbringing to craft dark social comedies that gave voice to America's forgotten suburbanites and their lonely, isolated lives in his previous films Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness. In Life During Wartime, Solodz extends these stories and covers topics such as paedophilia, abortion, and the Holocaust; the moral being that trauma can prompt a person to change their identity.

A dark and surreal film, this is a brave venture for Solodz. The cast is competent across the board, with Allison Janey (Juno, The West Wing) and Ciaran Hinds (Harry Potter, Road to Perdition) giving exceptional performances (UK 15).

We will be reviewing more films in time for the reopening of the cinema on 26th June, so check back soon for more information.