Do you ever go to see a French film and walk away completely discouraged because you understand so little? This has always been my experience, even after studying French for over 35 years and having lived in France.
As a part-time maso*, I like to test myself to see how long I can stare at the screen and just listen to the dialogue without resorting to reading the subtitles. I usually last about three changes of text before lowering my gaze (and with it, my self-esteem).
So why are French movies so hard to understand? Oftentimes, the scenes depicted are of daily life, so the language used is quite familiar and includes a lot of slang, which we don't necessarily know. Movies also need a conflict for their dramatic arc, so you'll often have people screaming at each other which makes understanding them almost impossible.
Imagine my delight, then, when I went to see Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune femme en feu) last weekend and in the first scene I understood every single word. I was giggling away to myself, thinking that I could report back to our students that there is a film out there that is easy to understand...finally!
A mild disclaimer: after the first scene, the language changed a little and therefore became a bit trickier to understand without consulting les sous-titres*, but en gros* it was the clearest and most easy to understand French film I have seen in a while. And did I mention it is a breathtakingly beautiful film? Please go and see it.
Finally, more than one morale de l'histoire*:
1) don't judge your French ability by French films - it'll be one of the later things you conquer
2) try for period pieces (such as the above) - the French they use is more formal and therefore easier to understand.
3) do not be like me and turn watching French films into a blood sport. Go and enjoy the sheer beauty of letting the French language wash over you. You'll never regret it.
*masochist *subtitles *in the main *moral of the story
