After the departure of their husbands for the 1914 war, two women have to run an oil mill.
With his job in the balance, Gérard bets his boss that he can transform bad-tempered street person Lola into television star material. With the inducement of stardom as his lure, he takes Lola in hand and becomes her instructor, sending her to ballet and acting classes, where she misbehaves. Most of her petulance is reserved for Gérard, however, but in the tradition of Pretty Woman and My Fair Lady, in the end he gets the girl and a new star -- in the same package.
Mme Guzik
A true story shot in a German Impressionistic style. In France during the Nazi occupation, Dr. Petiot (Michel Serrault) offered to help Jews escape the Nazis. They would come to his house, and he would kindly give them lethal "vaccinations" for their anticipated travel to Argentina. Then he would steal everything the brought with them (in addition to their up-front payment to him) and burn their bodies in his home-made crematorium.
Renée
Jeanne is a woman who is driven by her very active conscience. She attempts to assuage her idealistic bent by trying out life as a nun, but this doesn't work out. After she leaves the convent, she takes a job at a factory, where the callousness of management spurs her to become a labor activist. Her efforts are marked by great persistence and fervor, but she lacks any kind of diplomacy or persuasiveness, and as the years progress, she manages to alienate everyone in her life. By the end of the film, there is only one way that she can see to resolve the horrible situation she finds herself in.
Céline
The life of little St. Therese of Lisieux, depicted in minimalist vignettes. Therese and her sisters are all nuns in a Carmelite convent. Her devotion to Jesus and her concept of "the little way" to God are shown clearly, using plain modern language. A sense of angelic simplicity comes across without fancy lights, choirs, or showy miracles.
