The movie starts (almost) with a scene of an old woman collapsing at home from a stroke and her neighbour calling her grandson Franck, a cook whose job dictates that he lives a life of constantly trying to catch up on his sleep after long working hours. Before that, we see Camille, a woman with artistic talents getting a job at the lowest of the social rung, a cleaning lady for offices. Through a chance encounter with Camille we meet Philibert, a poor aristocrat aspiring to be a professional actor. The three of them live in the same house, the men roommates and the women in an attic-like room that cannot even accommodate a table. The movie shows how these three strangers (while the men are roommates, it doesn't look as if they are life-long buddies) get to know, appreciate, care for and help each other.
While we see character development for all the three characters, we are not given complete backgrounds. This is the way it should be, for this movie, which is a cross-sectional slice of a certain point in their lives.
Through a brief scene lunching with her mother, we understand that Camille is raised in a single parent family (father deserting them) and the relationship between mother and daughter has never been good. It is never explained why a girl with considerable talent, good practical sense, a warm heart and a healthy sense of humour should settle for a menial job. Is that deliberately to spite the mother? We can only guess.
Franck seems not unhappy working as a cook where he seems to be on good terms with his boss and co-workers. His predicament is long hours and the need to take care of his ailing grandmother. After her stroke, his only day off each week is written off as the nursing home he can afford to put her in is a long ride away. While we are touched by Franck's kindness to his grandmother, we tend to frown upon his customary gruff temper, particularly towards Camille. But his hidden tenderness and sense of humor gradually surface.
Stuttering Philibert, on the other hand, is likable from beginning to end, kind, caring, mild and gentle. Again not much is given by way of his background although we see that he does have a family which he visits occasionally. With Philibert, the focus is on his dream of becoming a stage performer, which he eventually achieves through training from a good teacher introduced by his girlfriend.
The movie revolves around these three people. The main event, if there's one, is when Camille, at her own initiative, takes up the job of nursing Franck's grandma by having her moved to live with them. This is the happiest time of the old woman's life. During a brief visit back in her own home, she dies peacefully sitting on her own rocking chair. Her creamed ashes are scattered in her own garden.
One would almost wish that there is no romance, to make this "Paris movie" really unique. But that will be too much of a disappointment for most audience to contemplate. The romance is fine though - light, unsentimental and consistent with the characters of Camille and Franck. And there is something unique about the Paris shown in this movie neighborhood, unassuming scenes that do not have "tourist attraction" written all over the frame.
While we see character development for all the three characters, we are not given complete backgrounds. This is the way it should be, for this movie, which is a cross-sectional slice of a certain point in their lives.
Through a brief scene lunching with her mother, we understand that Camille is raised in a single parent family (father deserting them) and the relationship between mother and daughter has never been good. It is never explained why a girl with considerable talent, good practical sense, a warm heart and a healthy sense of humour should settle for a menial job. Is that deliberately to spite the mother? We can only guess.
Franck seems not unhappy working as a cook where he seems to be on good terms with his boss and co-workers. His predicament is long hours and the need to take care of his ailing grandmother. After her stroke, his only day off each week is written off as the nursing home he can afford to put her in is a long ride away. While we are touched by Franck's kindness to his grandmother, we tend to frown upon his customary gruff temper, particularly towards Camille. But his hidden tenderness and sense of humor gradually surface.
Stuttering Philibert, on the other hand, is likable from beginning to end, kind, caring, mild and gentle. Again not much is given by way of his background although we see that he does have a family which he visits occasionally. With Philibert, the focus is on his dream of becoming a stage performer, which he eventually achieves through training from a good teacher introduced by his girlfriend.
The movie revolves around these three people. The main event, if there's one, is when Camille, at her own initiative, takes up the job of nursing Franck's grandma by having her moved to live with them. This is the happiest time of the old woman's life. During a brief visit back in her own home, she dies peacefully sitting on her own rocking chair. Her creamed ashes are scattered in her own garden.
One would almost wish that there is no romance, to make this "Paris movie" really unique. But that will be too much of a disappointment for most audience to contemplate. The romance is fine though - light, unsentimental and consistent with the characters of Camille and Franck. And there is something unique about the Paris shown in this movie neighborhood, unassuming scenes that do not have "tourist attraction" written all over the frame.