19h15, at the Alliance Française of Pretoria

The Russian Dolls (French : Les poupées russes) is a 2005 French-British film, the sequel to L’Auberge espagnole (2002). Cédric Klapisch wrote and directed the film, whose settings include Paris, London, Saint Petersburg and Moscow. Klapisch makes use of digital and split-screen effects in the film, as well as non-linear narrative.


Cast :
 Romain Duris (Xavier)
 Audrey Tautou (Martine)
 Cécile de France (Isabelle)

Synopsis :

Les Poupées russes begins with friends from "L’Auberge espagnole"in Saint Petersburg for the wedding of Wendy’s brother William. Xavier begins to reminisce about the past several years. He and Martine split up, and Martine has had a child and become a committed environmental activist. For financial reasons, Xavier becomes a writer for pulp romantic novels and a ghostwriter for celebrities who can’t write their own biographies. Martine criticizes his pulp novel work as being unrealistic and corny. Xavier feels just the same about this, but only replies to her that he earns good money. In Paris, Xavier has a brief affair with Kassia, a sales clerk from Senegal. When Xavier’s grandfather asks about Xavier’s fiancée, he asks his lesbian friend Isabelle (L’Auberge Espagnole) to pose as his fiancée…