Cold and Rainy Nights in Paris

I’m working late, the Cabinet is hushed, jazz curling softly through the room, underscored by the steady percussion of heavy rain.

We’re slipping into what I like to think of as Brassaï’s Paris. (If you’re not familiar with his work, do acquaint yourself without delay). It’s moody, cinematic, a city pared back to its bones. The leaves have vanished from the trees, the Parisians from their terraces; Paris stands bare, and therefore truest. This is the season when the city most faithfully serves its writers and cinephiles.

For my writers (and readers) join us virtually in Paris tomorrow for the club’s November salon. You’ll have a seat near the window of Messy Nessy’s Cabinet tomorrow as we’re joined by Emmy Award–winning journalist, writer, and producer Robin Allison Davis for with new book, Surviving Paris. (Keyholders will find the zoom link in the description).

For my cinephiles. Favourite comfort movies for a rainy night in Paris? Here’s a few suggestions…

• Un Coeur en Hiver (A Heart in Winter) – French romance about a violist played by Emmanuelle Béart, 1992.

• Nouvelle Vague – Richard Linklater’s new comedy drama following the shooting of Breathless, one of the first feature films of the Nouvelle Vague era of French mid-century cinema, 2025

• Modigliani – biopic about the painter’s life in Paris starring Andy Garcia, 2004.

• The Dreamers – sexy Bertolucci film set in Paris starring Eva Green, 2003.

• Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life – a French language Serge Gainsbourg biopic starring Éric Elmosnino, 2010.

• A Little Chaos – follows a female landscape gardener who is assigned to construct the gardens at Versailles, played by Kate Winslet, 2014.

I’ve also got a list of time travelling Paris movies to cozy up with and the MessyNessy movie house has plenty more recommendations in the vault. 

And your 13 Things are ready when the credits roll. 

Stay curious, 

Nessy