For most of us, Monday will not be unusual. In all likelihood, it will be nothing more than sweaty and boring. But in a pentagonal country an ocean away, the entire population's day will be sweaty and electrifying. Yes, friends, on the fourteenth of July, everyone in France will celebrate a holiday called (handily) the Fourteenth of July. Sometimes referred to as Bastille Day, this fete commemorates the 1789 storming of the fortress-prison at Bastille, an event that sparked the firestorm of the French Revolution.

And in California these days, we certainly know a thing or two about firestorms–so this Monday, why not embrace July 14 and all it entails without inhaling sooty debris? I have some DVD recommendations designed to make your Bastille Day in Berkeley just as sweaty and electrifying as it would have been in the city of lights. Behold:

1. "The Flower of Evil" (2003), directed by Claude Chabrol: I remember thinking that this film's subtitles were probably not comprehensive because a lot went unexplained. I now realize that this is the nature of European cinema. At any rate, it was a murder mystery with an incest subplot between step-sibling cousins Michele and Francois. A lot of Chabrol's films are thrillers, but I doubt many can match the intricate intergenerational dynamics of "The Flower of Evil."

As a sidenote, "The Flower of Evil," "The Triplets of Belleville" and "Monsieur Ibrahim" were all released in 2003. It was a huge year for French film in the United States. Incidentally, it was also a huge year for extra credit in my high school French class.

2. "The Dreamers" (2003), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci: While not strictly French (much of the dialogue is in English), this film had a lot of France in it, including Parisian street scenes, Eva Green and Louis Garrel. It was ostensibly about the revolution of '68 but actually about a love triangle between Michael Pitt and a set of twins. Screenwriters, it seems, were big on incest in 2003. I recall a lot of the film's specific imagery–a clip from "Band of Outsiders," a lighter the length of a tablecloth's plaid, Louis Garrel taking out the trash while wearing a velvet blazer and nothing else. I don't know what all that means, exactly. I do know that it was the first NC-17 film I'd seen, and I saw it at age 16 on a date. This certainly isn't the most uncomfortable date I've ever had, but it was until my junior year of college.

3. "Two English Girls" (1971), directed by Francois Truffaut: This isn't Truffaut's best work, but it's mostly in English and pretty accessible. Also, I already listed two films about oddly incestuous family bonds, so if I abandon the theme now I lose all credibility. The two English girls are sisters who both bed a Frenchman named Claude, played by Jean-Pierre Leaud. Their shared lover ends up selling them out with a thinly-veiled tell-all book. It's a very modern plotline, especially considering the fact that the action is set in the 1900s.

In my opinion, the best part of "Two English Girls" is when the sisters reduce Claude to his place of birth and address him with "Bonjour la France!" Though I admit this might not be an appropriate way to greet a person, I think it's a fine way to greet a day, and on July 14, it's exactly what I suggest you do. Rent a movie, grab a friend (consanguine or otherwise), and settle down for a warm, smoky evening on the continent.