With the Cannes Film Festival fully underway in the beautiful Cote D’Azur – and films getting praised (Black Flies, May December, et al…) and panned (we’re looking at you, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) left and right, we thought it’d be a good time to refresh you on proper French phrases with their root in cinema.
The expression faire son cinéma, literally “to make one’s cinema,” means “to be dramatic.” So, if someone is being dramatic, you can say: Arrête de faire ton cinéma! Stop being so dramatic!
Another expression is faire tout un cinéma, literally “to make a whole cinema,” which means “to make a big fuss.” For example: Mon fils fait tout un cinéma à chaque fois qu’il doit aller chez le médecin. My son makes a big fuss every time he has to go to the doctor. Ce n’est pas la peine d’en faire tout un cinéma. It’s not worth making a big fuss about it.
The expression se faire des films, literally “to make oneself some films,” means “to imagine things,” “to get carried away,” or “to get ahead of yourself.” Alternatively, you can say se faire tout un film, “to make oneself a whole film.”
Take a look at these examples:
Si tu crois qu’elle va changer d’avis, tu te fais des films. If you think she’s going to change her mind, you’re imagining things.
Je me suis fait tout un film. I got carried away.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about these cinematic French expressions.