Icarus Films: This Is Our Land

This Is Our Land: Chez Nous

From The Distrib Films Collection

Directed by Lucas Belvaux

114 minutes / Color
French / English subtitles
Release: 2018
Copyright: 2017

film poster

Marine Le Pen was defeated in the French election that brought Emmanuel Macron to power, but her far right-wing party, with its nationalist, anti-immigrant platform, lives on to feed the fear and resentment that begot Donald Trump’s election. THIS IS OUR LAND is a fictionalized story of an attractive working-class single mother in the North of France who naively agrees to run for mayor, representing the Patriotic Bloc. Lucas Belvaux, who previously directed RAPT, a terrific thriller about a French politician’s kidnapping, deals with another type of kidnapping here: With the help of a charming André Dussollier as the town’s esteemed physician, the Populists’ rhetoric seizes control of the minds of the electorate. With Catherine Jacob as the blonde-bobbed leader who never met an angry crowd she couldn’t make angrier.

“The film is a shoo-in for Stateside distribution, since Belvaux’s theme is the cinematic equivalent of all those articles trying to understand the disgruntled white voters who supported Trump.” —Variety

“[Will] inspire spirited audience discussions in cinema lobbies — and beyond.” —Hollywood Reporter

“This Is Our Land is essential viewing for its damning critiques.” —Film Inquiry

“This is our Land is not only a great entertainment, it is also a powerful warning.” —20 Minutes

“This Is Our Land is scariest and most effective in its illumination of the appeal of today’s particular brand of French nationalism. In this respect, Ms. Jacob’s work as Agnés galvanizes." —Glenn Kenny, New York Times