train.set

The shock of the Nov. 13 attacks in and around Paris refocused attention on debates that have convulsed French society for decades — about the marginalization of the Muslim population, about the tensions between Islam and French Republican ideology, about the identity of the nation itself.Is France defined by its language and traditions, by its geography, or by its universal ideals of liberty, brotherhood and equality? Filmmakers and artists have taken up these questions, often with more cogency than politicians or intellectuals. There are scores of movies from elsewhere in Europe, from the United States, from Africa and the Middle East that offer instructive viewing in the wake of the attacks. We have settled on six, all French and all relatively recent, that seem to us especially relevant to the painful, necessary work of thinking and understanding that lies ahead.