I’m sure you’ll find a lot of lists of French movies online, but none of them were really made for non-natives who aren't yet able to understand fast-paced dialogues. That’s why I’d like to recommend the following movies and series as they’re quite easy to understand if you’re at an A2 or B1 level in French.
Here’s what you’ll love about this list: - I’ve selected a couple of amazing movies and tv shows that you may have never heard of before - You can watch them on Netflix so you’ll have the freedom to use high-quality subtitles and switch between French or English - I’ve listed the main topics per title so you can review vocabulary using LinFlash app flashcards before watching any title
Watch out for the pro tips, they’ll help you turn Netflix into memorable study sessions.
When you think of French animations, there’s one amazing director called Michel Ocelot known for movies such as Kirikou and The Painting, unfortunately, they aren’t available in all Netflix areas. At the moment there aren’t enough French animations online, hopefully, this will change in the future.
Pro tip: You can watch almost any animation in French on Netflix by changing the spoken language!
#1. J'ai perdu mon corps
Year: 2019 Length: 1h20 IMDb rating: 7.6/10 Topics: Relationships, family & life stages, health & medicine Genre: Drama, fantasy Mood: Gloomy, romantic, surreal
This short and poetic animation deserves more attention from the French learning community.
It’s the story of a young and shy Moroccan man who is having a hard time adapting after moving to Paris. In parallel with his adventures, we follow a mysteriously severed hand around the city of lights, hence the title “I lost my body”.
The animation was awarded in Cannes and received 2 Cesars! I promise that the music will captivate you for a long time. Finally, the story is based on Guillaume Laurant's novel "Happy Hand", the scenarist who wrote the script of Amélie Poulain.
Recently Netflix filled up with seriously delightful francophone miniseries! This new format consists of less than 10 episodes so you can get to the end of the story without being discouraged.
Pro tip: I recommend them over movies for intermediate learners as you can watch an episode into 2 sessions of 20 minutes and stay focused no matter the difficulty.
#2. Mytho
Year: 2019 Length: 6 episodes IMDb rating: 6.8/10 Topics: Family & life stages, home & household, relationships Genre: Drama Mood: Cynical, emotional
Mytho was produced by Arte which is known for its highly creative shows and is based on the writer’s experience. Feeling transparent to her family, a mother invents a huge lie to attract attention.
This is just the start of a huge misunderstanding, starring an unusual woman desperately trying to reconnect with her husband and children. I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed if you like quirky characters, a second season is already on its way!
#3. La forêt
Year: 2017 Length: 6 episodes IMDb rating: 7.3/10 Topics: Education, crime & law Genre: Crime drama Mood: Dark, intriguing
If you generally like the criminal investigation format in tv shows, then I would recommend this one as it’s short and it’s been approved by many of my students as easy to follow. I personally liked the dynamic where every villager goes from friend to foe as everyone becomes a potential suspect.
La forêt happens in Belgium in a small village beside, you’ve guessed it, a mysterious-looking forest. The local police investigate after a teenaged girl disappears in the forest and the officers are assisted by her teacher, who had a traumatic experience in the same place when she was young.
Into the night, also called Après la nuit in Quebec where they usually translate any English title to French, is another exciting Belgian miniseries that is great to binge-watch during a long and rainy weekend. Any polyglot will love the mix of languages and accents used in the series as most passengers come from different places around the world.
The series follows a group of people who are hijacked while boarding a flight leaving Brussels. The people in the aircraft become some of the survivors from a deadly global event related to the sun. The group, led by the pilot, must work together to fly ahead of the sun and stay in the dark of the night.
#5. Le bazar de la charité
Year: 2019 Length: 8 episodes IMDb rating: 7.7/10 Topics: Politics, relationships, family & life stages Genre: Period piece, drama Mood: Emotional, romantic
I believe this one will be a hit among women especially as it’s a wonderful mix of romance and takes place in Paris during the late 18th century. Le Bazar de la Charité begins with the depiction of a true event, a tragic incident that resulted in many deaths.
We follow the aftermath of the horrific event by looking at the heavy consequences for the lives of three different women and their families. There’s an investigation involved as well so you definitely can’t get bored with this storyline.
Did you know you can review vocabulary for the movies listed above using the decks in LinFlash app? It won’t cost you anything, you can just search for the topics I listed under each title and you’ll be a lot more prepared when you start viewing movies. Give this method a try and let us know how it went!
Documentaries
Documentaries typically consist of a voiceover and interviews, this means what people say is planned or at least rehearsed and they usually speak slower. In other words they’re perfect for someone who isn’t comfortable when listening to French!
Most people have heard of this amazing docuseries following some of the most excellent chefs around the globe and this version focuses on France. That said, one of my favorite chefs, Alain Passard, invites us to discover his triple Michelin-starred restaurant in the first episode so you shouldn’t miss the chance to hear him talk about his culinary vision.
Even though I’ve never been a fan of rap music, the French singer Nekfeu totally caught me by surprise in this very intimate documentary that shows how he uses travel and a trusted group of friends to compose refreshing music albums. You’ll follow a humble young man who, no matter his success, stays passionate about music and can speak at least 3 languages fluently!
Sports movies
I chose to add 3 movies that belong to the Sports drama genre as they follow a simple narrative and contain a lot of action with a minimum amount of dialogues. Regardless of their plot, the following movies are highly satisfying to watch without requiring a huge amount of brainpower when it comes to French comprehension.
L’ascension is a fun movie to watch and is based on a true story. Samy, a young Senegalese man has been in love with the same girl since high school but Nadia doesn’t take him seriously. He tries to win her by saying that out of love for her, he would climb Mount Everest, but she thinks he’s just joking around.
Samy, determined to impress Nadia, starts looking for funding for his trip to Nepal. Without any climbing experience or even physical training whatsoever, he throws himself into the adventure but quickly realizes his weaknesses and the colossal challenge he must face.
La dream team is a movie that doesn’t really change from the usual sports drama storyline, which isn’t bad when you’re still learning French. The movie’s English title is actually A Mighty Team so I think you could call it the French version of the Mighty Ducks, except it’s about a local soccer team instead of ice hockey.
A well-known soccer player suffers a leg injury and ends up returning to his hometown after a series of unfortunate events so he can get a chance to recover fully. No one really appreciates him back home but he’s still asked to coach the local junior soccer team. He and the team will go through a good amount of failures and bloopers before understanding what it truly means to be part of a winning team.
I’d like to end this list with an unusual recommendation, when I found this movie on Netflix it really felt like a hidden pearl. Soane, a young boy who loves playing rugby, defies his father’s authority and leaves New Caledonia as he was promised a brilliant future by a French rugby recruiter.
Unfortunately, as you can imagine, things don’t go as planned and he has to fend for himself in a country where he barely speaks the language. You’ll see him grow into an adult after a few hard lessons learned in the French streets.
Before rushing into Netflix to start adding movies to your list, I’d like to share the last pro tip!
Did you know you can review vocabulary for the movies listed above using the decks in LinFlash app? It won’t cost you anything, you can just search for the topics I listed under each title and you’ll be a lot more prepared when you start viewing movies. Give this method a try and let us know how it went!
