Conversations with My Gardener (2007) Dialogue avec mon jardinier (original title)

Director:

Jean Becker

Writers:

Jean Becker
Jean Cosmos (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

6 June 2007 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A successful artist, weary of Parisian life and on the verge of divorce, returns to the country to live in his childhood house...

Plot Keywords:

Gardener | Divorce | Vegetable | Dialogue Driven | Terminal Illness

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Daniel Auteuil	...	Le peintre dit Dupinceau
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Le jardinier Léo dit Dujardin
Fanny Cottençon	...	Hélène
Alexia Barlier	...	Magda
Hiam Abbass	...	La femme du jardinier
Élodie Navarre	...	Carole
Roger Van Hool	...	Tony
Michel Lagueyrie	...	René
Christian Schiaretti	...	Charles
Jean-Claude Bolle-Reddat	...	Le maire
Bernard Crombey	...	Durieux
Nicolas Vaude	...	Jean-Etienne
Coralie André	...	La vendeuse
Monique Roussel	...	La veuve Juliette
André Lutrand	...	Le père Colin
Elric Thomas	...	Le dentiste (as Eric Thomas)
Mickey Dedaj	...	Ambulancier 1 (as Micky Dedaj)
Stephane Kordylas	...	Ambulancier 2 (as Stéphane Kordylas)
Brigitte Masure	...	Infirmière
Luce Bekistan	...	Femme 1
Isabelle Doyen	...	Femme 2
Nadine Chabrier	...	Femme 3 (as Nadyne Chabrier)
Jemmy Walker	...	Femme 4 (as Jemmy Walker Visioli)
Laurent Boismaré	...	Guy Stefanini, le gendre
Pierre Tourette	...	Le prof de gym
Domenico Boasso	...	Bardagaud
Maxence Fayard	...	Le peintre - adolescent
Maxime Pichot-Pierre	...	Le jardinier - adolescent
Jean-Paul Guillermin	...	Deruzeau
Jean-Baptiste Courtial	...	Le petit Charles
Georges Rotival	...	Poileau
Bérénice Guillou	...	La fille au gâteau
Jean Sibille	...	Le patron hôtel Nice
Frédéric Lodéon	...	Voix radio (voice)

Directed by
Jean Becker

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean Becker
Jean Cosmos		screenplay and dialogue
Henri Cueco		novel
Jacques Monnet

Produced by
Louis Becker	....	producer

Cinematography by
Jean-Marie Dreujou		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jacques Witta

Casting by
Maguy Aimé
Sylvia Chiflet-Allegre		(as Sylvia Allegre)

Production Design by
Thérèse Ripaud

Set Decoration by
Frédérique Hurpeau		(head set decorator)

Costume Design by
Annie Périer		(as Annie Périer Bertaux)

Makeup Department
Laurent Bozzi	....	hair stylist
Joël Lavau	....	key makeup artist
Alain Luzy	....	makeup artist: Nice

Production Management
Bernard Bolzinger	....	production manager
Olivier Coquillon	....	unit production manager: Nice
Matthieu Dubois	....	assistant unit manager
Claire Langmann	....	unit production manager
Guillaume Parent	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
André Cavaillé	....	second assistant director
Denis Imbert	....	first assistant director
Julien Petit	....	assistant director
Mélanie Ravot	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Michel Doré	....	storyboard artist
Pierre Garapon	....	constructor: Nice
Pascaline Pitiot	....	green/assistant art director
Simon Reynaud	....	assistant set decorator

Sound Department
François Domerc	....	boom operator
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
François Groult	....	sound mixer
Vincent Montrobert	....	sound editor
Johann Nallet	....	sound recordist
Jacques Pibarot	....	sound
Jean-Alexandre Villemer	....	sound recordist
Christophe Vingtrinier	....	foley engineer
Christophe Vingtrinier	....	post-synch mixer

Visual Effects by
Pascal Laurent	....	visual effects supervisor
Fred Roz	....	titles

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Marcel Buc	....	electrician: Nice
Arthur Chassaing	....	assistant camera
Patrick de Ranter	....	Steadicam operator
Patrick de Ranter	....	camera operator
Nicolas Dollander	....	Steadicam operator
Nicolas Dollander	....	camera operator: camera two
Denis Garnier	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Chloe Bartonio	....	wardrobe
Sandrine Bernard	....	costume supervisor
Aurélie Morille	....	trainee (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Nicolas Criqui	....	digital conformation
Philippe Reinaudo	....	digital intermediate technical director
Philippe Tourret	....	digital intermediate coordinator

Other crew
Jean-Claude Bonnichon	....	travelling car
Marc Bourguignon	....	technical advisor: fishing
Amélie Bérard	....	script supervisor
Christophe Jarosz	....	assistant location manager
Romeo Julien	....	avid conformation
Jules Prat	....	trainee script supervisor

Production Companies

• ICE3
• K.J.B. Production
• StudioCanal (co-production)
• France 2 (FR2) (co-production)
• Rhône-Alpes Cinéma (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Procirep (support)
• Angoa-Agicoa (support)

Distributors

• Alfa Films (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Arsenal Filmverleih (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Equinoxe (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Rialto Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (theatrical)
• StudioCanal (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2007) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Wise Policy (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Twin Pics (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• good movies! (2008) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• SNC Saison Wagner  insurance

Also Known As:

"Dialogue avec mon jardinier" - France (original title)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/12 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Spain:T | Germany:o.Al. | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:AL | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | UK:12A | Australia:M

Company:

ICE3

Soundtrack:

Concerto pour clarinette

Sometimes life moves just too fast too see its beauty

Internationally known as "Conversations with My Gardener" this film deals with an artist that moves back to his small country side village of birth after living in the hectic and fast paced Paris for a good number of years. He is still married but divorce is on the way and is in desperate need of a change.

Once back on the country side he hires a gardener to work his garden while he works his art and as it turns out the gardener is a childhood friend of his that has been living in the village his whole life. When the two meet again they start reliving old memories and conversing about just about everything and inspiring each other in many ways, both learning something they had long since forgotten.

Beautiful imagery, nice mellow music, realism. But above all, a sparkling unity between the two main characters. With that the film has all the ingredients to be a great film. It falters on only a few spots and IMO the one place where it really fails is by taking a very often used cliché to add some events to the ending that work toward a quicker ending but toward nothing else.

8 out of 10 long talks on a midsummer night