With France, Bruno Dumont returns to modern times after his earlier trips back to the Middle Ages with Joan of Arc (2019). His latest feature focuses on the world of French media and news channels. Léa Seydoux plays France De Meurs, a star journalist trapped in a whirlpool of misfortune. France’s surname, De Meurs, has the contradicting double meaning of ‘die’ and ‘resurrect’ in French, and the main character constantly collapses to be reborn as her name suggests. In the end, it is the punishment given to this modern day Jeanne that she has to endure all the pain in front of the camera without leaving the world she belongs to. The fate of the main character eventually becomes an unexpected story. The director juxtaposes the artificial world of television studios with sweeping scenes of nature, especially shots in the Alps, and presents superb action scenes at the same time. France is another masterful collaboration between Bruno Dumont and Léa Seydoux. (SEO Seunghee)