One of the greatest performance of French actor Gerard Depardieu lately. After the more somber and underground art film Mammuth, were you recognize somewhat the frees spirited Depardieu of the cult movie "Les Valseuses" (1974), here comes an unexpected tender and touching story of an adult that can barely read and an elderly lady from a retirement home. A love story begins, her love of words and books drives his desire to finally learn to "travel with words" and their love for each other blossoms. The director is know for his love of the human kind, undeserved as it may be, he glorifies the good one can do to another human being. It is a refreshing film, not a dark satire of society, but a joyful, hopeful, moving story with a true happy end. Don't miss it !
34 Reviews
One very enjoyable movie
richard-178718 July 2010
This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie. The story of a middle-aged man who can barely read, and doesn't enjoy it, and as a result has only odd jobs that pay little. He lives in an old trailer home in his mother's back yard, because that is all he can afford.
Then one day he meets a frail, elderly woman, who charms him by her very differences: she is a retired scientist, a highly educated and cultured woman, who has a passion for literature, which she loves to read out loud. He allows her to read to him, and becomes hooked by some great literature. It opens whole new worlds to him, and changes his life for the better. It also gives him the desire to really know how to read, and he sets about learning to do so, despite all the shame that involves for an adult man.
I liked this movie so much that I read the book on which it was based afterward. The novel, with the same title, is if anything even better than the movie. The end of the movie seems a little rushed, whereas the end of the book makes complete sense and is, I found, more satisfying.
Still, this is one very fine movie, with two great performances, by Depardieu and Gaby Casadeseus. It makes you feel good, without the mush that typifies what in the U.S. are called "feel good" movies. It would be interesting to see a good American director adapt it for American audiences.
Then one day he meets a frail, elderly woman, who charms him by her very differences: she is a retired scientist, a highly educated and cultured woman, who has a passion for literature, which she loves to read out loud. He allows her to read to him, and becomes hooked by some great literature. It opens whole new worlds to him, and changes his life for the better. It also gives him the desire to really know how to read, and he sets about learning to do so, despite all the shame that involves for an adult man.
I liked this movie so much that I read the book on which it was based afterward. The novel, with the same title, is if anything even better than the movie. The end of the movie seems a little rushed, whereas the end of the book makes complete sense and is, I found, more satisfying.
Still, this is one very fine movie, with two great performances, by Depardieu and Gaby Casadeseus. It makes you feel good, without the mush that typifies what in the U.S. are called "feel good" movies. It would be interesting to see a good American director adapt it for American audiences.
Jean Becker, the king of "Non-Action Movies"
guy-bellinger14 May 2011
A man (not so young) and a woman (very old) on a bench (the standard model), a few pigeons and few books, such are the basic ingredients of "La Tête en Friche". Not much in terms of dramatic backbone, but more than it takes for Jean Becker to make one of these heart-warming movies of which he has had the secret since "Les enfants du marais" (1995).
Little-known novelist Marie-Sabine Roger has provided the director, well assisted by the veteran scriptwriter Jean-Loup Dabadie, with typical Jean Becker material : the place of the action set somewhere in the French provinces (in this case, a village in the South-West of France), ordinary people as heroes (in "La tête en friche", a local Forrest Gump-like jack of all trades, a delicious 94-year-old lady who lives in an old people's home and a bunch colorful village people) as well as a lot of heart.
It is hard indeed to remain insensitive to the two leading characters, to the birth and development of a deep friendship between them, all the more as they are embodied to perfection by two wonderful actors, bulky Gérard Depardieu (a John Blunt who, against all odds, discovers the virtues of reading) and frail Gisèle Casadesus (as his unexpected Pygmalion). The two performers form an odd but touching couple that very few audience members can resist.
Funny and touching, light but not superficial, "La tête en friche" affords the luxury of examining, without depressing the viewer, such serious subjects as illiteracy, the status of the elderly in our society, the nearness of death, the aftermath of a difficult childhood...
The only thing that could be blamed on the authors is their giving Germain (Depardieu) a young mate. It is not Sophie Guillemin's fault at all : she is marvelous in the role. Fresh, natural, even solar. She is perfect but... twice as young as her partner. Not very believable, I am afraid.
But this is only a minor shortcoming. As a whole, "La Tête en friche" is an intelligent, sensitive and enjoyable film. One more achievement for Jean Becker.
Little-known novelist Marie-Sabine Roger has provided the director, well assisted by the veteran scriptwriter Jean-Loup Dabadie, with typical Jean Becker material : the place of the action set somewhere in the French provinces (in this case, a village in the South-West of France), ordinary people as heroes (in "La tête en friche", a local Forrest Gump-like jack of all trades, a delicious 94-year-old lady who lives in an old people's home and a bunch colorful village people) as well as a lot of heart.
It is hard indeed to remain insensitive to the two leading characters, to the birth and development of a deep friendship between them, all the more as they are embodied to perfection by two wonderful actors, bulky Gérard Depardieu (a John Blunt who, against all odds, discovers the virtues of reading) and frail Gisèle Casadesus (as his unexpected Pygmalion). The two performers form an odd but touching couple that very few audience members can resist.
Funny and touching, light but not superficial, "La tête en friche" affords the luxury of examining, without depressing the viewer, such serious subjects as illiteracy, the status of the elderly in our society, the nearness of death, the aftermath of a difficult childhood...
The only thing that could be blamed on the authors is their giving Germain (Depardieu) a young mate. It is not Sophie Guillemin's fault at all : she is marvelous in the role. Fresh, natural, even solar. She is perfect but... twice as young as her partner. Not very believable, I am afraid.
But this is only a minor shortcoming. As a whole, "La Tête en friche" is an intelligent, sensitive and enjoyable film. One more achievement for Jean Becker.
It's Love Just the Same
ferguson-69 October 2011
Greetings again from the darkness. It's nice to see a sweet, lovely little movie get made and distributed. The only characters are people we immediately recognize and feel like we know ... or wish we did. Based on a novel by Marie-Sabine Roger, it's directed by Jean Becker who clearly loves the characters, dialogue and message.
Gerard Depardieu stars as Germain, a giant hulking mass of man who is both likable and a bit of a target for barbs by his buddies at the café where they all hang out. Germain is the kind of guy who tends a garden of home grown veggies, and finishes his handyman work when the job is done ... even if it means he gets cheated out of a few dollars.
One day Germain meets Margueritte. Seems they both like to feed the pigeons from the same park bench. The two of them fall in love. OK, it's not quite that simple. Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus) is 95 years old and lives at a retirement center nearby. Her world consists mostly of reading books and counting pigeons. That is, until she meets Germain. Her wise, but failing eyes, recognize a wounded man. A man with a giant and kind heart. And mostly a man who is a wonderful listener. See, Margueritte READS aloud to Germain, who was mistreated as a child by his mother and teacher, and never developed any self-esteem or refined social skills. Margueritte helps him overcome through the words she reads ... and the stories he visualizes.
This simple story shows what an impact we can have on others by listening, or through a simple act of kindness. Margueritte's efforts open up the world for Germain, while his willingness to listen and care give her hope for another day. There are side stories involving Germain's mother (Claire Maurier), whom he still cares for, Germain's younger girlfriend Annette (Sophie Guillemin), and the circle of friends at the café/pub. These are all French people and full of life and emotion and judgment and caring.
Despite the shaky ending, this movie made me smile and had me hoping to spend an afternoon on the park bench with Margueritte and Germain ... reading The Plague by Albert Camus. Now that's a movie first!
Gerard Depardieu stars as Germain, a giant hulking mass of man who is both likable and a bit of a target for barbs by his buddies at the café where they all hang out. Germain is the kind of guy who tends a garden of home grown veggies, and finishes his handyman work when the job is done ... even if it means he gets cheated out of a few dollars.
One day Germain meets Margueritte. Seems they both like to feed the pigeons from the same park bench. The two of them fall in love. OK, it's not quite that simple. Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus) is 95 years old and lives at a retirement center nearby. Her world consists mostly of reading books and counting pigeons. That is, until she meets Germain. Her wise, but failing eyes, recognize a wounded man. A man with a giant and kind heart. And mostly a man who is a wonderful listener. See, Margueritte READS aloud to Germain, who was mistreated as a child by his mother and teacher, and never developed any self-esteem or refined social skills. Margueritte helps him overcome through the words she reads ... and the stories he visualizes.
This simple story shows what an impact we can have on others by listening, or through a simple act of kindness. Margueritte's efforts open up the world for Germain, while his willingness to listen and care give her hope for another day. There are side stories involving Germain's mother (Claire Maurier), whom he still cares for, Germain's younger girlfriend Annette (Sophie Guillemin), and the circle of friends at the café/pub. These are all French people and full of life and emotion and judgment and caring.
Despite the shaky ending, this movie made me smile and had me hoping to spend an afternoon on the park bench with Margueritte and Germain ... reading The Plague by Albert Camus. Now that's a movie first!
Another movie highlight by Jean Becker
wolfgang-e-ott3 April 2011
I thought that Becker's "Dialogue avec mon jardinier" was an excellent film; but watching "La tête en friche", I think this is his master work.
Depardieu is "the" actor in the current French movie scene and I can't imagine anyone other in the role of Germain Chazes. But the film lives by the art of both protagonists: Gisèle Casadesus and Gérard Depardieu. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast than the well educated lady on the one hand and the proletarian worker who had the worst start in life one can imagine, on the other hand.
It is a very old subject which was already treated in 1668 by the novel of Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen "Simplicius Simplicissimus" where a very simple person, a shepherd, by education and learning makes career as an army officer. Nothing other is demonstrated in this movie: A simple boy (shown in the flash backs) who never had a chance to become an educated person, gets the chance to learn due to the caring of an old lady and becomes all of a sudden a different person.
He notices the the problems of his surrounding and even understands his mother in the end - who always treated him mean during her lifetime.
This is a very moving film which gives hope that people and persons can be changed in their behavior by much love and understanding of their surroundings.
An excellent performance of Gisèle Casadesus (at the age of 96 years!) and Gérard Depardieu.
I voted 10 of 10 points.
Depardieu is "the" actor in the current French movie scene and I can't imagine anyone other in the role of Germain Chazes. But the film lives by the art of both protagonists: Gisèle Casadesus and Gérard Depardieu. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast than the well educated lady on the one hand and the proletarian worker who had the worst start in life one can imagine, on the other hand.
It is a very old subject which was already treated in 1668 by the novel of Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen "Simplicius Simplicissimus" where a very simple person, a shepherd, by education and learning makes career as an army officer. Nothing other is demonstrated in this movie: A simple boy (shown in the flash backs) who never had a chance to become an educated person, gets the chance to learn due to the caring of an old lady and becomes all of a sudden a different person.
He notices the the problems of his surrounding and even understands his mother in the end - who always treated him mean during her lifetime.
This is a very moving film which gives hope that people and persons can be changed in their behavior by much love and understanding of their surroundings.
An excellent performance of Gisèle Casadesus (at the age of 96 years!) and Gérard Depardieu.
I voted 10 of 10 points.
Wonderful film
WilliamCKH14 November 2011
Jean Becker would never be able to make a living as a filmmaker in America. This should not be taken as a critique of him as a filmmaker, rather as a critique of America. This thought came into my mind as I sat virtually alone (with 2 others) in a 200 seat theatre, located in a booming city of over a million, on a Sunday evening, during the first week's release of his latest film MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE. How sad it is to see such a film virtually unnoticed here in the states. Oh well,....
The film tells the story of Germain, played very subtly by Depardieu, who is a gentle giant, a bit slow, but lovable. He lives with an abusive mother, makes a living doing odd jobs around town, spends his free time gardening and drinking with his friends, has a girlfriend whom he adores, and is very much content with his life. One day he meets Margueritte, a woman of 95, sitting alone in the park, reading and feeding the pigeons. A friendship blossoms. They have conversations, exchanging their views on life, she reads to him and even persuades him to pick up a book himself.
Marguerite is content with life, although lonely. She lives at a home for the aged, paid for by a distant relative. Germain gives her a companion, someone to share with the ups and downs of everyday life. She has seen and done much and now is ready to live out the rest of her days quietly. The ending of the film is quite wonderful and I will not spoil it for the reader. Like the ending of Becker's last widely released film CONVERSATIONS WITH MY GARDNER, it may appear to be overly sentimental. It shouldn't. It would be wonderful if more movies ended in such an upbeat way, celebrating life and the joys that simple human kindness can create.
As I try to go back over the film's many details, I find in it so much beauty and wisdom, the kind that is so much needed, but missing from modern life...
The film tells the story of Germain, played very subtly by Depardieu, who is a gentle giant, a bit slow, but lovable. He lives with an abusive mother, makes a living doing odd jobs around town, spends his free time gardening and drinking with his friends, has a girlfriend whom he adores, and is very much content with his life. One day he meets Margueritte, a woman of 95, sitting alone in the park, reading and feeding the pigeons. A friendship blossoms. They have conversations, exchanging their views on life, she reads to him and even persuades him to pick up a book himself.
Marguerite is content with life, although lonely. She lives at a home for the aged, paid for by a distant relative. Germain gives her a companion, someone to share with the ups and downs of everyday life. She has seen and done much and now is ready to live out the rest of her days quietly. The ending of the film is quite wonderful and I will not spoil it for the reader. Like the ending of Becker's last widely released film CONVERSATIONS WITH MY GARDNER, it may appear to be overly sentimental. It shouldn't. It would be wonderful if more movies ended in such an upbeat way, celebrating life and the joys that simple human kindness can create.
As I try to go back over the film's many details, I find in it so much beauty and wisdom, the kind that is so much needed, but missing from modern life...
Enjoyable
nqure21 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
A relatively short comedy drama but one containing a number of themes (illiteracy, old age, parents & children, psychological damage in childhood) as well as being an unusual love story.
I did feel the growth of the relationship between Germain & Magueritte was somewhat forced and former international aid worker, Margueritte, an almost saintly figure, angelic, in contrast to Germain's bully of a mother, though I did like the twist at the end, which makes the audience reassess a woman whose youthful exuberance was blighted by an accidental pregnancy, resulting in a deepening resentment taken out on her son.
Certain things seemed telegraphed such as Germain's increased confidence with words surprising his friends though Germain's clumsiness remains in the quite funny scenes with Francine the bar-owner.
I thought the flashbacks were well integrated and added to the film rather than interrupting its pace and the resolution, though sentimental, made sense.
But I decided to give this film seven as I preferred the depiction of old age in 'Mid August Lunch' because I felt it possessed more of a ring of truth to it (loneliness, vulnerability, but how the old ladies all retain their individuality). 'My Afternoon with Magueritte' is an unashamedly feel-good movie. I'm not familiar with Becker's other work but I have been led to believe that he believes in the best of human nature. As a cynic and pessimist, I don't like to always cast gloom, but I do like a hint of bitter chocolate with my saccharine.
I did feel the growth of the relationship between Germain & Magueritte was somewhat forced and former international aid worker, Margueritte, an almost saintly figure, angelic, in contrast to Germain's bully of a mother, though I did like the twist at the end, which makes the audience reassess a woman whose youthful exuberance was blighted by an accidental pregnancy, resulting in a deepening resentment taken out on her son.
Certain things seemed telegraphed such as Germain's increased confidence with words surprising his friends though Germain's clumsiness remains in the quite funny scenes with Francine the bar-owner.
I thought the flashbacks were well integrated and added to the film rather than interrupting its pace and the resolution, though sentimental, made sense.
But I decided to give this film seven as I preferred the depiction of old age in 'Mid August Lunch' because I felt it possessed more of a ring of truth to it (loneliness, vulnerability, but how the old ladies all retain their individuality). 'My Afternoon with Magueritte' is an unashamedly feel-good movie. I'm not familiar with Becker's other work but I have been led to believe that he believes in the best of human nature. As a cynic and pessimist, I don't like to always cast gloom, but I do like a hint of bitter chocolate with my saccharine.
The town handyman (Depardieu) discovers books & a true friend with 95 year old woman; a most enjoyable film
chaz-287 October 2011
Germain (Gerard Depardieu) is not illiterate. He knows how to read and write, but he really prefers not to. For one, he is not very good at reading, he goes slowly and he uses his finger to follow the lines across the page. However, his comprehension is pretty good, especially when someone reads aloud to him. He imagines the scene in his mind and if the reader is describing rats in the street he can see those rats squirming around in enough detail that it makes him uncomfortable. Not being a big fan of reading and not being known as any sort of intellectual at his local bar is just fine by Germain. He is a town handyman, a very capable gardener, appreciates his girlfriend, and is not depressed about his station in life.
His station isn't very high either. He lives in a trailer behind his mother's house and makes ends meet by being good with his hands, be it woodworking or gardening. One advantage to not having a steady 9-5 job is lunch in the park. Germain enjoys making a sandwich and leisurely eating it on his favorite park bench where he can monitor the pigeons. He goes there enough to know that in fact there are 19 usual pigeons hanging around and he even has names for all of them. It is here in the park where he meets 95 year old Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus). The park gives her a chance to escape the old folks home for a bit and read out in the sunlight.
Margueritte and Germain strike up a pleasant friendship where she reads aloud and he appreciates the stories. This is the first time in his life someone has ever taken the time to talk with him one on one about stories, how they make you feel, and what the author may have been thinking about. Germain has bad memories from his childhood, both from an unfriendly school and an uninterested mother. Margueritte sees through his thick exterior and recognizes a kind of kindred spirit, one who really appreciates a good story and crisp sentences. In another life and with decent surroundings, Margueritte surmises Germain could have been an author himself.
All of these new ideas, books, and learning makes his life a bit more uncomfortable. His friends at the bar notice his vocabulary is raising a notch or two and his girlfriend Annette (Sophie Guillemin) is starting to wonder where all of this self improvement is coming from. Give My Afternoons with Margueritte a strong point in the good script column that is sidesteps what could have been a misunderstanding with a real scene of openness, frustration, and acceptance.
Gerard Depardieu gives a very strong performance here as a guy everyone likes, except his mother, and who enjoys his life in his small town. This comes off a very good performance he had last year with Inspector Bellamy. Gisele Casadesus has shown up three times in the movies in the past few months. She has bit parts in Sarah's Key and The Hedgehog and for a lady of such an advanced age, she really has a grasp on Margueritte and how she would feel towards a man approaching middle age whose earlier experiences stunted what could have been a wonderful relationship between him and the world of books. She may be the only 95 year old in France capable of still turning out a good performance which is why she is getting every single role in France which calls for one.
My Afternoons with Margueritte is a very pleasant way to spend your own afternoon. Watching Germain and Margueritte plod through a Camus novel is refreshing and it is truly enjoyable to sit back and watch a script unfold which chooses to step away from cliché and focus on character and style.
His station isn't very high either. He lives in a trailer behind his mother's house and makes ends meet by being good with his hands, be it woodworking or gardening. One advantage to not having a steady 9-5 job is lunch in the park. Germain enjoys making a sandwich and leisurely eating it on his favorite park bench where he can monitor the pigeons. He goes there enough to know that in fact there are 19 usual pigeons hanging around and he even has names for all of them. It is here in the park where he meets 95 year old Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus). The park gives her a chance to escape the old folks home for a bit and read out in the sunlight.
Margueritte and Germain strike up a pleasant friendship where she reads aloud and he appreciates the stories. This is the first time in his life someone has ever taken the time to talk with him one on one about stories, how they make you feel, and what the author may have been thinking about. Germain has bad memories from his childhood, both from an unfriendly school and an uninterested mother. Margueritte sees through his thick exterior and recognizes a kind of kindred spirit, one who really appreciates a good story and crisp sentences. In another life and with decent surroundings, Margueritte surmises Germain could have been an author himself.
All of these new ideas, books, and learning makes his life a bit more uncomfortable. His friends at the bar notice his vocabulary is raising a notch or two and his girlfriend Annette (Sophie Guillemin) is starting to wonder where all of this self improvement is coming from. Give My Afternoons with Margueritte a strong point in the good script column that is sidesteps what could have been a misunderstanding with a real scene of openness, frustration, and acceptance.
Gerard Depardieu gives a very strong performance here as a guy everyone likes, except his mother, and who enjoys his life in his small town. This comes off a very good performance he had last year with Inspector Bellamy. Gisele Casadesus has shown up three times in the movies in the past few months. She has bit parts in Sarah's Key and The Hedgehog and for a lady of such an advanced age, she really has a grasp on Margueritte and how she would feel towards a man approaching middle age whose earlier experiences stunted what could have been a wonderful relationship between him and the world of books. She may be the only 95 year old in France capable of still turning out a good performance which is why she is getting every single role in France which calls for one.
My Afternoons with Margueritte is a very pleasant way to spend your own afternoon. Watching Germain and Margueritte plod through a Camus novel is refreshing and it is truly enjoyable to sit back and watch a script unfold which chooses to step away from cliché and focus on character and style.
Benchmark
writers_reign15 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Jean Becker is unquestionably a poet of rural France as time after time, film after film, he celebrates the hinterland in much the same way as Marcel Pagnol used to do. Above all - again like Pagnol - his characters have warmth, charm, heart - and those are only the heavies. This time around he has cast Gerard Depardiu as an illeterate oak though lovable with it. Although he has his share of friends in the rural community he is often the butt of their jokes but given the gorgeous much younger girlfriend he has acquired the laugh is surely on them. One day sitting on a park bench feeding pigeons he stumbles on a charming elderly lady whose idea of light reading is Camus' The Plague. They strike up a friendship and are soon meeting daily and Depardieu is absorbing culture by osmosis. That's pretty much it but it is done superbly not least by Giselle Casadesus, who really was born in 1914 or three years before Danielle Darrieux who is also still working. British reviewers seem to think Casadesus is a newcomer yet she has been working for years not least in Becker's Les Enfants du Marais and Valerie Lemercier's Palais Royal. This is a wonderful film that I can't recommend highly enough.
a sweet little love story to warm the cockles
shesaidcinema23 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I won't lie to you, I am a bit predictable in my love for all things French. I'm a complete sucker for a French movie and if said French movie has the brilliant Gérard Depardieu in it then, well, I know I'm gonna be alright for ninety minutes or so.
My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010) is a sweet little story about a great lump of a guy and a dainty old lady who meet on a park bench in a small French town and strike up a lovely friendship based on her passion for literature and his love of, er, listening.
This film is incredibly twee and a bit sad like a lovely gallic, bittersweet hug. 'Oh mon dieu you are lovely ma cherie but you see I must leave you now for ma femme has le dinner sur le table'...something like that.
The story is a good one though, based on the book La Tête en Friche (also the French title for this movie and translating to something like idle-headed!) by Marie-Sabine Roger. The theme is breaking apart traditional definitions of love and it ends with a beautiful soliloquy by Depardieu that begins "It's not a typical love affair, but love and tenderness, both are there", sounds more like the beginning of a Greek tragedy doesn't it? I would like to read the book now but I do think the French title is a bit harsh. Depardieu's character, Germain, is a bit thick but not in a horrible way and he has a heart of gold and for that matter a really foxy girlfriend which confused me for fully five minutes! Huscat would hate it, so glad I watched it toute seule. I had a little weep at the end, no spoilers, not going to tell you nothing, its just nice. Watch it for a cockle warming.
My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010) is a sweet little story about a great lump of a guy and a dainty old lady who meet on a park bench in a small French town and strike up a lovely friendship based on her passion for literature and his love of, er, listening.
This film is incredibly twee and a bit sad like a lovely gallic, bittersweet hug. 'Oh mon dieu you are lovely ma cherie but you see I must leave you now for ma femme has le dinner sur le table'...something like that.
The story is a good one though, based on the book La Tête en Friche (also the French title for this movie and translating to something like idle-headed!) by Marie-Sabine Roger. The theme is breaking apart traditional definitions of love and it ends with a beautiful soliloquy by Depardieu that begins "It's not a typical love affair, but love and tenderness, both are there", sounds more like the beginning of a Greek tragedy doesn't it? I would like to read the book now but I do think the French title is a bit harsh. Depardieu's character, Germain, is a bit thick but not in a horrible way and he has a heart of gold and for that matter a really foxy girlfriend which confused me for fully five minutes! Huscat would hate it, so glad I watched it toute seule. I had a little weep at the end, no spoilers, not going to tell you nothing, its just nice. Watch it for a cockle warming.
In the vein of Conversations with my Gardener
anthonydavis2625 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This review was made following an afternoon screening at Cambridge Film Festival (September 2010): If you do not take to what, for me, is simply a gloriously delightful style of French film (very much in the spirit of a previous hit at the festival Conversations With My Gardener, whose name is even evoked by this feature's English title), my positive reception will not be understood. However, I gauge from the applause (at the re-run) that it was well received.
Nevertheless, although people might have laughed quietly to themselves at largely gentle humour (but interspersed with varying levels of sometimes overt discrimination and even abuse), and, unless one has half an ear to the original language, reading words off the screen can put one a beat or more behind, I judged that some of it was being lost.
What certainly also didn't come over in the subtitles was the old-fashioned purity of expression of Margueritte's French (and so the beauty that I heard in it as a contrast with Germain's and that of most of the others), and there is definitely nothing left of the original title's intimation of a mind that is lying dormant (until she awakes it). Other translations gave a different feeling to the content of the original dialogue, and one text that was recited aloud, not least when it had been shown as sought out as easier to read, seemed more opaque than the others.
There is much in common with Conversations, such as the generosity of the motives (and the utter lack of condescension where it most matters), and even the fact that both of the less well-educated characters have green fingers. (As in that case, I am inclined to look out the book from which this film was adapted.) There was additionally a similar feeling of hurt (though greater here) between comparing the results of different educations (and, in the case of Conversations, lifestyles), particularly one that had penalised Germain and ridiculed him time and again in front of everyone else, and continued to do so.
He was only to be redeemed, in the scope of our time with him, by the insight of the two women in his life, who could clearly see his generosity and loveableness for their true worth. In the case of each relationship, respect on both sides is felt for the other, and companionship and friendship are seen as valued responses to the sharing of experiences that have hitherto been alien to that person's world. Finally, though not wishing to push the resemblance too far, but there is a final (and crucial) link in the matter of inheritance, which, in the case of Conversations, brought about the circumstances of the story, and here altered them.
Each film shows something of what matters about being human, when the pettiness, anger and competitiveness of life are stripped away. I know that I will, as I did with Conversations, be coming back to My Afternoons, and I fully expect that attention to be well repaid.
Nevertheless, although people might have laughed quietly to themselves at largely gentle humour (but interspersed with varying levels of sometimes overt discrimination and even abuse), and, unless one has half an ear to the original language, reading words off the screen can put one a beat or more behind, I judged that some of it was being lost.
What certainly also didn't come over in the subtitles was the old-fashioned purity of expression of Margueritte's French (and so the beauty that I heard in it as a contrast with Germain's and that of most of the others), and there is definitely nothing left of the original title's intimation of a mind that is lying dormant (until she awakes it). Other translations gave a different feeling to the content of the original dialogue, and one text that was recited aloud, not least when it had been shown as sought out as easier to read, seemed more opaque than the others.
There is much in common with Conversations, such as the generosity of the motives (and the utter lack of condescension where it most matters), and even the fact that both of the less well-educated characters have green fingers. (As in that case, I am inclined to look out the book from which this film was adapted.) There was additionally a similar feeling of hurt (though greater here) between comparing the results of different educations (and, in the case of Conversations, lifestyles), particularly one that had penalised Germain and ridiculed him time and again in front of everyone else, and continued to do so.
He was only to be redeemed, in the scope of our time with him, by the insight of the two women in his life, who could clearly see his generosity and loveableness for their true worth. In the case of each relationship, respect on both sides is felt for the other, and companionship and friendship are seen as valued responses to the sharing of experiences that have hitherto been alien to that person's world. Finally, though not wishing to push the resemblance too far, but there is a final (and crucial) link in the matter of inheritance, which, in the case of Conversations, brought about the circumstances of the story, and here altered them.
Each film shows something of what matters about being human, when the pettiness, anger and competitiveness of life are stripped away. I know that I will, as I did with Conversations, be coming back to My Afternoons, and I fully expect that attention to be well repaid.
Sickly but all round good
willcundallreview24 October 2015
Quite often films like this can be seen as sickly and rather a bit much for those who want a more realistic plot as well. With this you can get that feeling of emotion that can feel a little showy, kind of like "look here we are trying so hard to make you feel all fuzzy", I'm not saying that is all together a bad thing but I do feel movies like that can get a little too seen before sometimes. The movie has a small cast in terms of main characters but that makes it much more personal and at times you can kind of connect to these French townsfolk and the entire goings on that happen.
The plot is about a man named Germain who is a little on the less intelligent side but is a sweet man in ways and shows it in this film most whilst feeding his beloved pigeons in the park. Germain comes across an old lady who also feeds the pigeons and strikes up a nice little friendship where both tell each other of their lives and read to each other as well. Of course not all the plot is set in the park and between these two characters, Germain also has to contend with his less than loving mother and friends who often ridicule him for his less than smart remarks. I felt the story does go along nicely, yet again the sickly parts can clog up part of this small and light movie but in the end it isn't long enough to make me care about much of the more cheesy moments.
Gerard Depardieu is Germain and he does a good job, he makes him exactly what he is meant to be, not too intelligent but caring, can get a little angry but at the same time wants to learn and better himself too. It is not only Depardieu who is good, Gisele Casadesus as the old lady and the name in the movie Margueritte is in fine form, she is acting here way into her 90's and really gives this her all and creates a likable character and a little lady who maybe could remind many of us of grandmas. I liked most of the cast as well but I also like that the main two are given a lot of time together, the movie never tries to make too much small talk with minor characters and so I felt it flows well for such a short film.
Jean Becker directs and does a nice job; I felt he captured the right tone of the town used and gets that French film kind of spirit really going. Becker co-writes as well and the script is really where a lot of the movie can feel overly sweet, the ending leaves a nice taste but boy just before that it made me think it was going to be a horrendous ending and too predictable, would have ruined the movie but luckily the guys behind this get it right. I must also mention the wonderful score which is not used a lot but when it is it's lovely and really brings out the best of the certain scenes involved.
With this you can get that kind of award bait movie that really tries to either pull at the heart strings or make you laugh or sometimes both and this movie feels very much like that. I will say though that it is recommendable, it is layered in typical kind of plot but still wraps the whole thing up nicely and adds a nice little bow to this more than OK movie. Don't expect something amazing, this is good but far from sublime, still shows though the genuine skill that French cinema can produce and also that Depardieu is still going strongly as an actor.
The plot is about a man named Germain who is a little on the less intelligent side but is a sweet man in ways and shows it in this film most whilst feeding his beloved pigeons in the park. Germain comes across an old lady who also feeds the pigeons and strikes up a nice little friendship where both tell each other of their lives and read to each other as well. Of course not all the plot is set in the park and between these two characters, Germain also has to contend with his less than loving mother and friends who often ridicule him for his less than smart remarks. I felt the story does go along nicely, yet again the sickly parts can clog up part of this small and light movie but in the end it isn't long enough to make me care about much of the more cheesy moments.
Gerard Depardieu is Germain and he does a good job, he makes him exactly what he is meant to be, not too intelligent but caring, can get a little angry but at the same time wants to learn and better himself too. It is not only Depardieu who is good, Gisele Casadesus as the old lady and the name in the movie Margueritte is in fine form, she is acting here way into her 90's and really gives this her all and creates a likable character and a little lady who maybe could remind many of us of grandmas. I liked most of the cast as well but I also like that the main two are given a lot of time together, the movie never tries to make too much small talk with minor characters and so I felt it flows well for such a short film.
Jean Becker directs and does a nice job; I felt he captured the right tone of the town used and gets that French film kind of spirit really going. Becker co-writes as well and the script is really where a lot of the movie can feel overly sweet, the ending leaves a nice taste but boy just before that it made me think it was going to be a horrendous ending and too predictable, would have ruined the movie but luckily the guys behind this get it right. I must also mention the wonderful score which is not used a lot but when it is it's lovely and really brings out the best of the certain scenes involved.
With this you can get that kind of award bait movie that really tries to either pull at the heart strings or make you laugh or sometimes both and this movie feels very much like that. I will say though that it is recommendable, it is layered in typical kind of plot but still wraps the whole thing up nicely and adds a nice little bow to this more than OK movie. Don't expect something amazing, this is good but far from sublime, still shows though the genuine skill that French cinema can produce and also that Depardieu is still going strongly as an actor.
I'm struggling with all these positive reviews...
withnail6922 February 2022
I found the plot of this film totally unbelievable and the whole thing just far too cheesy/saccharine like. And I'm a huge fan of French movies and even cheesy french movies. Depardieu's acting in this is horrendous. He plays some kind of builder who it seems doesn't have to really work. He so simple that he can't see why he shouldn't be allowed to write his own name on a war memorial for the dead YET seems to get hugely into Camus in about two mins.. As has been previously pointed out he is meant to be 50 and has an incredibly hot girlfriend in her 20s who offers nothing to the plot. Just odd... The actress who played him mum was pretty good as were his friends in the bar but do give this a miss and seek out something decent like Jean de Florette instead.
You may want to stay with her forever.
JohnDeSando16 October 2011
A film like Jean Becker's My Afternoons with Margueritte spoils me with a lyricism found not just in a small French provincial town filled with eccentric, lovable characters but also in sentiment propelled by exquisite words found in Camus and Romain Gary. And an odd couple who find love that is sometimes not named.
In perhaps a nod to Harold and Maude, Germain (Gerard Depardieu), a 50 year old non reader, meets in the park with 90 year old Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus), who initially reads to him from Camus' The Plague. As she awakens his interest in reading, his life changes, not the least of which is finding a loving mother figure for the abusive real one. Or maybe discovering Leonard Cohen's Suzanne.
So much more is layered in this romantic story: a Cheers-like café where love and disrespect, the two poles of sentiment in the film, play out in a way that exalts the affection even in the hardest of relationships; a traditional love affair for Germain with the younger Francine (Maurane) that may turn around the story's primary January-May motif but parallels it in the deeply loving relationship that seeks to perpetuate itself.
So much of My Afternoons is about renewal and rebirth, and so little is about death that the formula for too old to be young no longer applies. Nor does my expectation to be grossed out by Depardieu's enormous girth, a sad counterpoint to his dashing younger days. But wait, his weight is perfect for the role, his lines read with such understated beauty as to shout, "Where have you been, Gerard?" The bear-like man revealing a daisy-like affect is poetically perfect for the story.
If you expect the film to follow a formula, you will be correct, except maybe for the ending which confirms the motif of unnamed love conquering all. Actually, the film makes you cry for more of the odd-couple romantic formula.
As for the transforming power of books, Abe Lincoln had a witty take on the subject: "The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read." Change that to "woman" and you have My Afternoons with Margueritte.
In perhaps a nod to Harold and Maude, Germain (Gerard Depardieu), a 50 year old non reader, meets in the park with 90 year old Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus), who initially reads to him from Camus' The Plague. As she awakens his interest in reading, his life changes, not the least of which is finding a loving mother figure for the abusive real one. Or maybe discovering Leonard Cohen's Suzanne.
So much more is layered in this romantic story: a Cheers-like café where love and disrespect, the two poles of sentiment in the film, play out in a way that exalts the affection even in the hardest of relationships; a traditional love affair for Germain with the younger Francine (Maurane) that may turn around the story's primary January-May motif but parallels it in the deeply loving relationship that seeks to perpetuate itself.
So much of My Afternoons is about renewal and rebirth, and so little is about death that the formula for too old to be young no longer applies. Nor does my expectation to be grossed out by Depardieu's enormous girth, a sad counterpoint to his dashing younger days. But wait, his weight is perfect for the role, his lines read with such understated beauty as to shout, "Where have you been, Gerard?" The bear-like man revealing a daisy-like affect is poetically perfect for the story.
If you expect the film to follow a formula, you will be correct, except maybe for the ending which confirms the motif of unnamed love conquering all. Actually, the film makes you cry for more of the odd-couple romantic formula.
As for the transforming power of books, Abe Lincoln had a witty take on the subject: "The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read." Change that to "woman" and you have My Afternoons with Margueritte.
Americans can make small emotional films also
paulccarroll325 June 2013
I just ran across this film on cable TV and had not heard anything about it and was pleased by its gentle,humorous story. I won't go into plot details,but would like to comment on how so many reviewers mention that this kind of film is almost only done in French cinema. Even while I was watching this film I was remind of the film Fried Green Tomatoes,in which an older woman helps a younger woman become more confident in her middle aged life through flashback tales of her early 1900's,rural youth and loves.That film is full of love between a young woman and her family,between the black family that lives with them,and between the girl that she rescues from a bad marriage,and the child that they raise together.Another reviewer also mentioned Driving Miss Daisy,a film that's about the loving relationship that develops between a widow and her chauffeur.There's also the Before Sunrise films and many others. So I do think that fairly small films exploring close relationships aren't the sole oeuvre of the French. I would like to see a American version of this story. Would Betty White be a good fit for a role that's not too comic? Who should play Germain? I hope His love interest would be not quite so much younger than him.
A Chance Relationship: A Definition of Love
gradyharp6 November 2012
La tête en friche is a beautiful little French film based on the book by Marie-Sabine Roger and adapted for the screen by Jean-Loup Dabadie and director Jean Becker. A tale of an unexpected life change that occurs when an incidental meeting on a park bench brings together an illiterate lonely man with an elderly woman whose best friends are her books in the isolation of old age, this is truly a story of transformation and a definition of pure love.
Germain Chazes (Gérard Depardieu) grew up in an unwanted home, the brunt of teachers and classmates because they considered him illiterate, and now he is forced to lead a hand to mouth existence in a house trailer close to his now elderly, crass, alcoholic mother who still loathes him. He supports himself with odd jobs and by selling the vegetables he grows in his small garden. One day he visits his lunch spot - a park bench where he has named the 19 pigeons as his only real friends - and there he meets a very properly dressed elderly woman named Margueritte (two t 's because her father didn't know how to spell!) played by Gisèle Casadesus, who spends her days reading Camus, Proust, and other French classics aloud. They bond - Germain shares his pigeons' names and Margueritte introduces him in the most gentle manner to the joy of reading. Every day thereafter the two meet and Margueritte reads to Germain to the extent that Germain decides to learn to read despite his advanced years. Margueritte's influence changes Germain's outlook and response to the world and the ending, while sad on one level, is uplifting.
Both Depardieu and Casadesus are remarkable in their roles, never becoming caricatures but blossoming into completely warm and memorable people. The French cast is exceptional and the musical score and cinematography are as beautiful as the story they reveal.
Grady Harp
Germain Chazes (Gérard Depardieu) grew up in an unwanted home, the brunt of teachers and classmates because they considered him illiterate, and now he is forced to lead a hand to mouth existence in a house trailer close to his now elderly, crass, alcoholic mother who still loathes him. He supports himself with odd jobs and by selling the vegetables he grows in his small garden. One day he visits his lunch spot - a park bench where he has named the 19 pigeons as his only real friends - and there he meets a very properly dressed elderly woman named Margueritte (two t 's because her father didn't know how to spell!) played by Gisèle Casadesus, who spends her days reading Camus, Proust, and other French classics aloud. They bond - Germain shares his pigeons' names and Margueritte introduces him in the most gentle manner to the joy of reading. Every day thereafter the two meet and Margueritte reads to Germain to the extent that Germain decides to learn to read despite his advanced years. Margueritte's influence changes Germain's outlook and response to the world and the ending, while sad on one level, is uplifting.
Both Depardieu and Casadesus are remarkable in their roles, never becoming caricatures but blossoming into completely warm and memorable people. The French cast is exceptional and the musical score and cinematography are as beautiful as the story they reveal.
Grady Harp
A truly affecting sentimental drama
shakercoola20 July 2019
A French drama; A story set in a small provincial French town about an illiterate middle-aged man considered to be the village idiot and seemingly disregarded all his life by his mother. He meets an elderly lady in the park - an intellectual - who takes to his gentle manner and kindness and reads stories to him, and soon they have a bond of strong friendship.
This is a funny and moving film with two very good lead performances and the actors help it to avoid heart-tugging sentimentality. While it is predictable and cliché ridden, and it has a sickly sweet ending, it yields a lot of warmth and emotional radiance.
Learning to love
jotix10012 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Germain, the heavyset man living in a provincial town, has always been an awkward person. Not too versed in social graces, he appears to be a happy man with what nature gave him. Germain, in spite of the impression he gives to others, has always been taken for granted, even by his mother, a lady that showed no special interest in Germain as a small boy, until a lover dared to be mean to him, then she became a tigress.
As the story unfolds, Germain is a man that in addition to his vegetable garden, works at odd jobs to make a living. People love to take advantage of him because they perceive him as not all there. Germain is most happy at the park where he goes regularly to check on his nineteen pigeon. He has names for all of them. One day, he sits next to an older lady who comes to spend time at the park. Margueritte loves to read. She is currently reading "The Plague" by Albert Camus. When she cites a passage she likes, Germain listens with such attention, he is almost reliving what the older woman is saying.
Germain lives in a trailer that is situated in the garden of the house he used to share with his mother. Now an older woman, she shows symptoms of dementia. In flashbacks we get to see their relationship, never an easy one, as well as Germain's days in school where he was tormented by a teacher who did not how to reach the young boy. Ridiculing Germain made him the butt of all jokes from his class mates. Now, as a grown man, he has a love interest in Francine, a bus driver, a much younger woman.
It is through Margueritte that Germain comes to life. She reads to him the books she loved. She lives in a retirement home that is expensive and her relatives are against keeping her there. To make matters worse, Margueritte is losing her sight. When the older woman suddenly stops coming to the park, Germain goes to investigate, only to find out she has been taken to a nursing home in Belgium, near where her relatives live. Germain cannot accept the idea of losing Margueritte and takes it upon himself to bring her to his home for the reminder of her days.
A beautiful and uplifting film by Jean Becker, a director that loves to take subtle stories and give them a life of their own. The source of the material was a novel by Marie-Sabine Roger. The director and Jean-Loup Dabadie adapted it for the screen and turned it into a sort of ode to the friendship between two unlike people that come together out of mutual respect and admiration. It is a feel good movie that can be enjoyed by all kinds of audiences.
Gerard Depardieu with his new bulk is perfect as Germain, the man that has been misunderstood all his life. He does not have to pretend anything with Margueritte for she never asks anything of him. Gisele Casadesus, a veteran actress in her nineties, matches Mr. Depardieu in ways that surprise us. Having worked with Mr. Becker before, she proves an invaluable asset, and a perfect casting to the film. Both Mr. Depardieu and Ms. Casadesus give exquisite performances. Maurane plays Francine, the young woman in love with Germain.
A heart warming film for audiences young and old thanks to Jean Becker's vision.
As the story unfolds, Germain is a man that in addition to his vegetable garden, works at odd jobs to make a living. People love to take advantage of him because they perceive him as not all there. Germain is most happy at the park where he goes regularly to check on his nineteen pigeon. He has names for all of them. One day, he sits next to an older lady who comes to spend time at the park. Margueritte loves to read. She is currently reading "The Plague" by Albert Camus. When she cites a passage she likes, Germain listens with such attention, he is almost reliving what the older woman is saying.
Germain lives in a trailer that is situated in the garden of the house he used to share with his mother. Now an older woman, she shows symptoms of dementia. In flashbacks we get to see their relationship, never an easy one, as well as Germain's days in school where he was tormented by a teacher who did not how to reach the young boy. Ridiculing Germain made him the butt of all jokes from his class mates. Now, as a grown man, he has a love interest in Francine, a bus driver, a much younger woman.
It is through Margueritte that Germain comes to life. She reads to him the books she loved. She lives in a retirement home that is expensive and her relatives are against keeping her there. To make matters worse, Margueritte is losing her sight. When the older woman suddenly stops coming to the park, Germain goes to investigate, only to find out she has been taken to a nursing home in Belgium, near where her relatives live. Germain cannot accept the idea of losing Margueritte and takes it upon himself to bring her to his home for the reminder of her days.
A beautiful and uplifting film by Jean Becker, a director that loves to take subtle stories and give them a life of their own. The source of the material was a novel by Marie-Sabine Roger. The director and Jean-Loup Dabadie adapted it for the screen and turned it into a sort of ode to the friendship between two unlike people that come together out of mutual respect and admiration. It is a feel good movie that can be enjoyed by all kinds of audiences.
Gerard Depardieu with his new bulk is perfect as Germain, the man that has been misunderstood all his life. He does not have to pretend anything with Margueritte for she never asks anything of him. Gisele Casadesus, a veteran actress in her nineties, matches Mr. Depardieu in ways that surprise us. Having worked with Mr. Becker before, she proves an invaluable asset, and a perfect casting to the film. Both Mr. Depardieu and Ms. Casadesus give exquisite performances. Maurane plays Francine, the young woman in love with Germain.
A heart warming film for audiences young and old thanks to Jean Becker's vision.
A sweet film in the best sense.
runamokprods3 March 2012
A sweet trifle of a film, taken to a deeper and richer level by two outstanding performances.
Gerard Depardieu, in what must be his 6,000th film still feels fresh and alive as the overweight, under educated and well meaning laborer who can hardly read, and who strikes up a chance friendship with the 94 year old Margueritte, played with amazing delicacy and life force by the wonderful Gisele Casadesus, who was an astounding 95 herself when this was made. Oh that we all should live so long with such grace.
Marguritte begins reading to the quasi-literate Germain, who finds his interest in reading sparked, and with it an expanded sense of self. He even finds himself falling in love (in a chaste almost childlike way) with the still beautiful Margueritte.
Simplistic, sure, sentimental, undoubtedly. But much like Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman in 'Driving Miss Daisy' these two actors give performances that make you want to forgive anything that might otherwise feel trite or too on the nose (e.g. the very literal flashbacks to Germain's childhood).
Not quite a great film, but a charming, sweet, life-affirming and very human one.
Gerard Depardieu, in what must be his 6,000th film still feels fresh and alive as the overweight, under educated and well meaning laborer who can hardly read, and who strikes up a chance friendship with the 94 year old Margueritte, played with amazing delicacy and life force by the wonderful Gisele Casadesus, who was an astounding 95 herself when this was made. Oh that we all should live so long with such grace.
Marguritte begins reading to the quasi-literate Germain, who finds his interest in reading sparked, and with it an expanded sense of self. He even finds himself falling in love (in a chaste almost childlike way) with the still beautiful Margueritte.
Simplistic, sure, sentimental, undoubtedly. But much like Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman in 'Driving Miss Daisy' these two actors give performances that make you want to forgive anything that might otherwise feel trite or too on the nose (e.g. the very literal flashbacks to Germain's childhood).
Not quite a great film, but a charming, sweet, life-affirming and very human one.
one hell of a warm film...
boblam_10 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This film is a perfect example of those qualities that seem to be impossible in American/British cinema. It has a homeliness and innocence which is believable while being obvious fiction. The acting of Depardieu, Gisele Casadesus and Maurine is superb, in fact none of the cast are anything but excellent. It is not always the case that 'flashback' scenes don't interfere with the continuity but here they work perfectly as the character of Chazes is built up. His relationship with Margueritte, from the initial pigeon naming encounter to the final 'rescue' is beautifully developed. This film is finely worked comedy, painted over a morality which is never syrupy, leaving one with a smile and even a moist eye, at the end.
wonderful movie
Delennaglo6 May 2011
This is a wonderful movie. I went with my husband. We didn't expect anything. On the way to the movies we joked who will be the first to fall asleep. The movie is very relaxing, with nice jokes here and there. After a busy day, it's a perfect treat for stressed people. I studied French years ago and of course don't remember much. The actors spoke rather slowly, so I could easily follow the lines with my lousy French. And it's France, with wine and tomatoes. People socialize in a small local pub. So, you feel as if you were a part of their community. Even though the movie is relaxing, the scenes move forward all the time. It's very entertaining in a quiet fashion. So, enjoy!
The love of life and a life of love, revealed by a fortunate random encounter
JohnRayPeterson1 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Depardieu is a very good actor, despite an eclectic string of characters he has played in recent times. One must consider his whole body of work, to recognize there was always the talent there, too often wasted on bad scripts and poor directing. After watching this movie, I won't be so quick to overlook more of his performances. He played with such convincing simplicity his role of Germain in the movie, I could not wait for the next scene and the next one after that. Okay the script and directing by Jean Becker is in no small way a big part of the story's appeal. Becker was born in this media and at 77 can still deliver quality work. Gisèle Casadesus in the role of Margueritte was perfect for the part; her character is the catalyst to a beautiful love story, a love of life and a life of love. Sophie Guillemin in the role of Annette, Germain's girlfriend and lover, had known the beautiful hidden side of her man, but it was Margueritte who triggered the blossoming poet in Germain. Indeed, you would not have expected the lead role of Germain to mature into a real poet, given his status in life and how practically all in his life treated and considered him an idiot (except Annette). The closing scene, Germain reads his poem of love to the late Margueritte; it's the sort of scene that will betray the romantic in all of us, okay in enough of us, to give hope to all women that there is such a thing as a loving man. This is a clear character development piece that will not fail to inspire and move the audience. You may even gage the loving factor of a person from his or her appreciation of this movie. I want to share the warmth this production made me feel by saying "Watch this movie".
If this isn't nice, nothing is!
IndustriousAngel2 February 2013
We missed this french production in theaters and only saw this on DVD later, and now we're watching it every few months. The story is rather simple, and the concept of two outsiders building a friendship and mastering life better as a result is not really new. However, with human drama, the performances of the actors are what makes a film tick, and here everything comes together perfectly. Gérard Depardieu (as Germain) and Gisèle Casadesus (as Margueritte) are the contrasting pair - he heavy-built, strong and slow, she frail and old but with a very agile mind. Those two have great chemistry, and every smile and gesture makes you love them some more. Germain's girlfriend and mother are important and are played to perfection, too. The music by Laurent Voulzy is beautiful; camera and light catch the atmosphere very well and the comedy elements are not overemphasized. And with 75 minutes running-time, they showed restraint and didn't blow up this small, but lovable story out of proportion. Highly recommended!
Very, very touching....and quite sweet. I simply loved this film.
planktonrules28 June 2012
Gérard Depardieu stars in this film as an oafish man named Germain. Germain is not a bad man--just a VERY socially awkward and uneducated man of about 60. When he happens to meet a very elderly woman, the title character played by Gisèle Casadesus, they strike up a very unlikely friendship. They both visit each other in the park and she reads to him--and from very difficult works such as a novel by Albert Camus. However, Germaine has some difficulty following her, as he's uneducated and practically illiterate. But, over time, he grows and becomes more self-confident--and really grows to love Margueritte. What comes next, I'll leave for you to see--I'd hate to spoil it, and there are so many wonderful and lovely twists and turns.
While this is NOT a blockbuster sort of film packed with excitement, chases and sex, it is a magnificent little film if you are patient and give it a chance. The script is NOT what you would expect based on what I told you above--there are many unusual twists that threw me off guard. There also were MANY wonderfully touching moments that brought me to tears towards the end. Despite a VERY strong career with some magnificent films to his credit, this is my favorite Depardieu film--and I've seen far more than you'd ever expect from a non-Frenchman. There is a gentleness and depth that is captivating and the script gives him and other characters a lot of chance to explore their characters and act. The film also has some wonderful things to say about love that make it one of a kind. And, in a VERY odd way, the film is somewhat reminiscent, believe it or not, of "Harold and Maude"--though clearly "My Afternoons with Margueritte" is NOT a comedy and lacks the overall weirdness of "Harold and Maude". But, it more than makes up for it with charm. See this film!
By the way, Casadesus was in her mid to late 90s when she made this film and she just celebrated her 98th birthday! I love that such a vibrant older actress hasn't just been left to rot and waste all her talents--and I hope to see more from her.
While this is NOT a blockbuster sort of film packed with excitement, chases and sex, it is a magnificent little film if you are patient and give it a chance. The script is NOT what you would expect based on what I told you above--there are many unusual twists that threw me off guard. There also were MANY wonderfully touching moments that brought me to tears towards the end. Despite a VERY strong career with some magnificent films to his credit, this is my favorite Depardieu film--and I've seen far more than you'd ever expect from a non-Frenchman. There is a gentleness and depth that is captivating and the script gives him and other characters a lot of chance to explore their characters and act. The film also has some wonderful things to say about love that make it one of a kind. And, in a VERY odd way, the film is somewhat reminiscent, believe it or not, of "Harold and Maude"--though clearly "My Afternoons with Margueritte" is NOT a comedy and lacks the overall weirdness of "Harold and Maude". But, it more than makes up for it with charm. See this film!
By the way, Casadesus was in her mid to late 90s when she made this film and she just celebrated her 98th birthday! I love that such a vibrant older actress hasn't just been left to rot and waste all her talents--and I hope to see more from her.
Life makes promises that it can't keep, but it gives friends who make your life filled with new promises
PRSanyal4 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
one of the simplest movies, I have ever watched with deep meaning. It shows why your life can be meaningful, even though you lose faith on family, even though you hate each moment of it. The above summary i wrote, the first part is from the movie, second part i made it up with my learning from the movie.
It shows that learning has no age, one just need a little motivation, a little hope. It also shows the love that often do not come on surface for the people we care the most. Germain thought his mother hated him, but in reality it was opposite.
It also taught me sometimes again. Why I say again?? As my college professor used to say,"Most of us know everything, just that we can't remember all the things we see or learn. So, we often require someone to remind us those." the teaching that I got again: True love and lovers will always find a way, to connect, to share and to care.
It shows that learning has no age, one just need a little motivation, a little hope. It also shows the love that often do not come on surface for the people we care the most. Germain thought his mother hated him, but in reality it was opposite.
It also taught me sometimes again. Why I say again?? As my college professor used to say,"Most of us know everything, just that we can't remember all the things we see or learn. So, we often require someone to remind us those." the teaching that I got again: True love and lovers will always find a way, to connect, to share and to care.
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