Le voyage en douce (1980)

Childhood friends, dominant Helene and submissive Lucie, are now in their thirties and married. Nostalgic about their youth, they take a bonding car trip to French countryside, while discussing their real and made up sexual experiences.

Director:

Michel Deville

Writer:

Michel Deville

Stars:

Dominique Sanda, Geraldine Chaplin, Jacques Zabor

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dominique Sanda	...	Hélène / Denis' wife
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Lucie
Jacques Zabor	...	Denis / Hélène's husband
Jean Crubelier	...	L'homme des maisons / The man at the houses
Valerie Masterson	...	La cantatrice / The singer
Cécile Le Bailly	...	Marie / Lucie's cousin
Jacqueline Parent	...	Mathilde / Pinson's girlfriend
Jacques Pieiller	...	Pinson / Salesman
Françoise Morhange	...	La grande-mère / The Grandmother
Frédéric Andréi	...	Le jeune homme de l'hôtel / The young man at the hotel
Christophe Malavoy	...	L'homme du train / The man on the train
André Marcon	...	L'homme du concert / The man at the concert
Catherine Le Dall	...	La marraine / The godmother
Hélène Garcia	...	La pompiste / The pump attendant
Robin Camus	...	Lucas / Hélène's son

Storyline

Lucia and Elena are best friends since childhood. They take a car trip from Paris to the country. Their conversations are overtly intimate, but more revealing is their tacit understanding of each others' personality and desires.

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Plot Keywords:

wife leaves husband | early midlife crisis | art museum | flashback | anecdote | 

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Taglines:

What women talk about when men aren't around

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

User Reviews

A movie Hollywood could never make...

The Voyage in question immerses the viewer in the world of these two talkative yet strangely inarticulate friends without offering easy answers or facile insights. The viewer follows where the Voyage leads, as the characters themselves do, and bask in the summer sunlight of the French countryside. There are answers but the questions themselves are ambiguous and contradictory. Chaplin and Sanda, consummate actors, bring a crackling intensity and (at times) affecting vulnerability to their roles. The soundtrack enhances contemplative episodes with tenderly played bagatelles from Beethoven, which offer ironic counterpoint even while evoking a nostalgia for "lost time".

The claustrophobia-inducing tight interior shots bracketing the beginning and end of the film also intensify the exchange of roles between the two main characters that has gradually taken place during the journey. Elena (Sanda) has helped Lucia (Chaplin) rebuild her confidence and self-esteem but has herself become vulnerable and unstable in the process...

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

4 January 1980 (France)

Also Known As:

A Sweet Journey

Company Credits

Production Co:

Maurice Bernard, Gaumont, Eléfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1