Heidi Ellison
Sibyl
Woman as Volcano
No wonder there is so much mistrust of psychiatrists when the French keep making films like Sibyl, directed by Justine Triet. Sibyl (Virginie Efira) is a novelist turned shrink who wants to write another novel, so she dumps most of … Read More
Romantic Paris
Romance in Turbulent Times
After the fall of Napoleon and his empire in 1815, 19th-century France lived through a series of monarchical restorations and new revolutions, with Paris always at the center of events. The major exhibition “Romantic Paris” at the Petit Palais looks at what … Read More
L’Office Restaurant
A Promotion at the Office
I have been to L’Office many times when a new chef took over, but now this little restaurant has not only another chef – the best yet, in my opinion – but also a different owner and a revamped decor. … Read More
#Female Pleasure
Sex Crimes Uncovered
The documentary #Female Pleasure doesn’t have much to do with France per se (except that a few scenes were shot in Paris), but its themes are universal, and I was dismayed to learn that this well-made documentary of compelling interest has had only … Read More
Versailles: Visible/Invisible
Humbling Versailles
If you want to avoid the crowds next time you go to Versailles, skip the château itself and go to the Domaine du Grand Trianon to see the exhibition “Versailles: Visible/Invisible,” a continuation of the now-annual incursion of contemporary art … Read More
La Thith Cantine
No More Numbers
Remember when all Asian restaurants had overwhelming menus with pages and pages and pages of dishes? To avoid confusion, you had to order by the number assigned to each dish. Those restaurants still exist (I ate at one in Paris … Read More
Lourdes
Believe It or Not
Ever wonder what really goes on at Lourdes, aside from a roaring trade in bottled holy water, statuettes of the Virgin Mary, rosaries and a multitude of kitschy souvenirs? The new documentary Lourdes, by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai (both … Read More
Prehistory: A Modern Enigma
The Weight of the Past
I was as fascinated by the exhibition “Prehistory: A Modern Enigma” at the Centre Pompidou as the artists featured in it were fascinated by prehistoric art. The premise of the show is that the many new scientific discoveries made during … Read More
La Bicyclette Restaurant
Big Wheels, Big-Flavored Meals
There are plenty of places to eat in this corner of the 19th arrondissement (the Asian Koko is fun and friendly after seeing a film at one of the two cinemas on the Bassin de la Villette, and Simonetta has … Read More
![Every Stone Should Cry & [Apokatastasis] Interior Garden](https://www.parisupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ParisUpdate-Musee-Chasse-Nature-Mercier-tires.jpg "Every Stone Should Cry & [Apokatastasis] Interior Garden")
Every Stone Should Cry & [Apokatastasis] Interior Garden
Messing Around with Mother Nature
Paris’s Le Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature is a wonderful place in its own right, with its amazing collections of taxidermied animals, firearms (whoever would have thought that guns could be so beautiful?), paintings, objects and furniture, … Read More