FRENCH TV & FILM RECOMMENDATIONS

Watching foreign TV & film can be a great way to improve your language skills, especially your listening skills. It’s no longer difficult to find foreign language TV & film on accessible platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video but, here are some of my French recommendations if there’s too much to choose from:

Lupin - TV, Netflix

Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, Assane Diop (Omar Sy) seeks revenge on a wealthy family who he believes framed his father for the theft of a historic necklace. The series explores Diop under various aliases, avoiding the police and looking for answers about his father. Having been recently renewed for a third season, this drama is not short of plot twists and unpredictability.

The Hookup Plan – TV, Netflix

Still hung up on her ex two years later, Elsa’s friends secretly hire an escort to take her on a few dates and help her move on. This series has some iconic, relatable characters, and the French is quite easy to understand. The episodes are each about twenty minutes long so a great choice if you find it difficult to hear a lot of French at one time.

The Class – film, Prime Video to rent for £3.49

Originally titled Entre les murs, the film follows a teacher and his class at a school in a tough neighbourhood. Its relatable setting means that although it is in French, there are moments that any UK student would also be able to relate to. It deals with more than just the French education system and goes on to tackle race and class issues.

La Mante – TV, Netflix

A captured serial killer offers to help the police solve a string of copycat murders, providing that her son, who is now a police officer, works alongside her. This crime series is not what I expected and can be hard to watch at times. However, there’s lots of plot twists that you don’t see coming and is one for those who prefer crime dramas.

I Am Not an Easy Man – film, Netflix

In this romantic comedy, the male protagonist wakes up in a world where women dominate the world and must accustom himself to what women typically experience on an everyday basis. The concept of this film is very interesting and makes you think about the way that society and gender stereotypes operate.

Still using the subtitles doesn’t mean you’re not engaging with the language as you can put them in English and match up what you read with what you hear or challenge yourself and put the subtitles in the language you’re learning too. Of course, watching any of your favourite shows with French dubbing will also improve your language skills, provided you don’t mind the mismatch of audio to visual!