Original title: Heureux anniversaire
Directed by Pierre Étaix and co-written by Jean-Claude Carrière, Happy Anniversary is an Academy Award-winning short film that serves as a masterclass in comic escalation. While it clocks in at only 12 minutes, it is packed with the precise, rhythmic visual gags that became Étaix’s signature.
Original title: Le soupirant
Directed by Pierre Étaix, The Suitor is his debut feature film and a brilliant love letter to the silent era of comedy. Often hailed as the spiritual successor to Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati, Étaix crafts a film that relies almost entirely on visual wit, precise timing, and the charm of a deadpan “little man” navigating a modern world he doesn’t quite understand.