Serge Hazanavicius on AllMovie

Gallic actor Serge Hazanavicius debuted in film not as an on-camera presence but as a director, helming a plethora of short-subject films. He shifted gears to focus on acting, then moved into supporting feature roles with a small turn in Peter Kassovitz's 1992 comedy Drôle d'oiseaux and a more substantial part as the romantic lead opposite the alluring Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi in director Laurence Barbosa's light romantic comedy Les Gens Normaux N'ont Rien d'exceptionnel (1993). These assignments seemed to set a precedent for the work that followed, as one comedic project after another ensued (witness 1996's Delphine 1-Yvan 0, 1997's Le Déménagement, and 2001's Barnie et Ses Petites Contrarietes), in time, however, Hazanavicius revealed more of a dramatic flair, receiving particularly strong acclaim for his work opposite Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein in director Philippe Claudel's poignant psychological drama I've Loved You So Long... (2007).