Romain Duris landed in cinema by chance, when he was discovered by Cédric Klapisch on the streets of Paris in 1993 (see his first casting). Thanks to his magnetic on-screen presence, he's gone on to become a legitimate superstar and undeniably one of France's biggest exports. (As our own Benjamin Law put it: "You’ll honestly forget Gosling ever existed when you watch Romain Duris on screen for the first time.")
Best known for his fruitful collaboration with Klapisch – they have teamed up on no less than seven movies together, including the crowd-pleasing trilogy The Spanish Apartment, The Russian Dolls and Chinese Puzzle – Duris has also worked with the "crème-de-la-crème" of French directors (François Ozon, Michel Gondry and Jacques Audiard, to name a few). A versatile actor, he excels in many different genres, proving himself equally at ease playing heartthrobs, goofy anti-heroes, and hardened criminals.
Explore the many facets of this french treasure, and watch five of his movies at SBS On Demand. Ne nous remerciez pas.
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
M
France, 2005
Genre: Drama
Language: French
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Niels Arestrup, Romain Duris, Emmanuelle Devos
What's it about?
Duris shows his dramatic chops in this dark and adrenaline-fuelled drama directed by Jacques Audiard (A Prophet). He gives a brooding, intense performance as Tom, the son of a thug (the always formidable Niels Arestrup), who made his money from dirty, brutal, real estate deals. But Tom has innate musical talent and is torn between dreams of being a concert pianist and the reality of life as a ruthless debt collector.
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[link title="The Beat That My Heart Skipped Review" url="node/2744"]
Chinese Puzzle
M
France, 2013
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Language: French
Director: Cedric Klapisch
Starring: Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Kelly Reilly, Cecile de France, Kevin Bishop
What's it about?The final chapter in Cédric Klapisch's feel-good trilogy sees our favourite characters from The Spanish Apartment and The Russian Dolls in their early forties, still trying to make sense of their lives, made even more confusing with the added responsibility of parenthood. When Xavier (Duris) follows his ex Wendy to New York City to stay close to his kids, his search for a visa and a job sees him stumble into one chaotic situation after another.
Chinese Puzzle Review Watch our interview with Cedric KlapischWatch Marc Fennell's interview with Cedric Klapisch on The Feed
Exiles
M
France, 2004
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Music
Language: French
Director: Tony Gatlif
Starring: Romain Duris, Lubna Azabal, Zouhir Gacem
What's it about?
In this sensual cross-cultural road movie by Tony Gatlif, Duris travels with a lover (Lubna Azabal, Incendies) through France and Spain and into Algeria to discover the homeland of their parents. Accompanied by fantastic music and meeting a plethora of interesting characters along the journey, the couple mirror their parents' exile. It's Duris' second collaboration with Gatlif since Gadjo Dilo.
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Molière
PG
France, 2007
Genre: Comedy, History
Language: French
Director: Laurent Tirard
Starring: Ludivine Sagnier, Laura Morante, Fabrice Luchini, Romain Duris
What's it about?Duris gives free rein to his comedic talent in this irresistible farce that reimagines Molière's formative years. Before he became the famous writer of comic satire such as 'The Misanthrope', a young Moliere was a failed actor and bankrupt, hired by the wealthy Monsieur Jourdain to woo a French countess with a series of love letters.
Watch The Movie Show's original review
Manhood
MA15+
France, 2007
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: French
Director: Raphael Fejtö
Starring: Romain Duris, Aïssa Maïga, Clément Sibony
What's it about?
In this light-hearted comedy, Duris stars as Samuel, a commitment-phobic 30 year-old, who starts doubting his relationship with girlfriend Tina (Aïssa Maïga, one of Xavier's conquests in Russian Dolls), as their first anniversary approaches. He gives himself 24 hours to make a decision about whether to stay or go, and consults with his trusted friends Mounir and Jorge.
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