6 films and series for February to improve your French

Winter is often a period where we want to curl up with a good film or series while we wait for the colder months to pass.

Immersion is the one of the best ways to ensure you improve in your target language quickly, and watching French TV shows and films is a great option to keep learning in your downtime.

The arrival of a new month brings lots of new programmes available on streaming services, and a whole host of new films in the cinema.

In addition, every month sees classic French films being added, or returning to, streaming services.

Here are some to try out this month.

Une robe pour Mrs Harris

Set to arrive on Netflix on February 2, Une robe pour Mrs Harris (Mrs Harris goes to Paris in English) is a French-English film set after the Second World War and based on the 1958 novel Mrs Harris goes to Paris.

It follows the story of Mrs Harris, who earns a living by cleaning and lives a solitary life following the death of her husband.

After becoming obsessed with one of her client’s ‘haute couture’ Dior dress, Mrs Harris travels to Paris to buy a dress of her own.

Appearing on French Netflix, there should be options to change the dialogue and subtitles into French or English, depending on what you fancy.

Babysitting and Babysitting 2

Babysitting and Babysitting 2 are very popular comedy films starring Philippe Lacheau in the role of Franck, who is stuck babysitting his boss’ young son.

Of course, nothing goes smoothly and soon Franck’s friends arrive to party - leading to utter chaos.

The films were extremely well received in France, with one media outlet declaring them cult classics.

They can be found streaming on Netflix.

Read also: 2023 was a good year for French cinemas: The top ten films

Star Academy

Star Academy is a reality TV competition to find the next big performer in France.

The contestants share a house and attend the ‘academy’, where they develop their performance skills with a big focus on singing and dancing.

Each week, students are evaluated by their teachers, and students with the lowest marks face a public vote to keep them in the academy.

The show is well-liked amongst the younger generation in France and is famous for being the origin of some of the best-known pop culture moments in the 21st century in the country.

It is available on TF1 but also streams on Canal+ meaning you can catch up on the entire season which is currently showing.

Notre Dame

Inspired by the true events of the 2019 Notre Dame fire in Paris, this Netflix drama explores the impact of this huge event on the firefighters who responded to the blaze and the Parisians who were eyewitnesses to the events.

The stories in each episode are based on the real life accounts of firefighters on the scene who worked as the world was watching.

Read more: PHOTOS: new spire is put in place at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris

Read more: France will win Notre-Dame rebuild challenge, says general in charge

D’argent de de sang

Also available on Canal+ is D’argent et de sang is a series based on the tax placed on carbon in Europe in 2005, which saw many businesses commit VAT fraud on the carbon quotas in France between 2008 and 2009.

In the show, two crooks proceed to use the tax to attempt a huge VAT fraud, but run into problems when they are faced with a customs inspector.

The show was extremely well-received when it was released last year.

Cocorico

If you fancy a trip to the cinema, Cocorico could be a good option for some light hearted entertainment.

Before getting married, couple Alice and Francois decide to introduce their families. As a surprise gift, they give their parents DNA tests to trace their ancestors.

However, it all goes wrong when everyone receives unexpected results…

This film will be available to watch in cinemas from February 7.

Related articles

Oscar nominated Anatomy of a Fall is a masterclass in multilingual life

Readers share their TV and film recommendations