User Reviews

A character study about a man who battled his alcohol dependency as well as having suffered the departure of Mireille, his wife, is the basis of Jean-Pierre Denis interesting take on a novel by Pierre Peju, which we have not read. It was adapted by the director, and his collaborator, Yvon Rouve. It is clear from the start, the film was tailor made for Olivier Gourmet, the Belgian actor, a man who embodies the man in the center of the action, Etienne Vollard.

Etienne is a man with a surprising mind. He is quite familiar with books, which is a bonus for a man who works in a book store dealing with literature. Unknown to Etienne, a single mother, Pascale Blanchot, is having a hard time because her total lack of punctuality. Pascale has a daughter in school, but most of the time, she is late. Pointing out the route home one day, she is not prepared for the turn of events when young Eva, not being met, decides to go by herself. Fate intervenes as Etienne is driving and the girl, crossing a street, is hit by the car.

What follows is a small tragedy. Because of his own past, Etienne feels guilty for striking Eva, when in reality, it was not his own fault. Compounding on the problem, Pascale, who is aimless, decides to go work at a different city, leaving Eva behind in a rehab institution. Etienne's guilt gets the best of him. He is seen going to the clinic, first reading to her, later trying to get her out of the state in which the girl experiences. In moments where his despair gets the best of him, he goes into the nearby mountains and climbs them. Nothing prepares us for the outcome of this strange relationship between the unresponsive Eva and Etienne while the absent mother stays away.

Olivier Gourmet does a fabulous job impersonating the lonely Etienne. The actor gives an intense reading to the role he was meant to play. As he has proved with his work in his native country, he continues to enhance anything he is asked to play. Canadian born actress Marie-Josee Crozet has the unwelcome task to give life to a monster of a mother, as is the case with her take on Pascale. Young Bertile Noel-Bruneau, a delightful red headed doll, shows she is a natural.

We've been in this adult-thrown-together-with-child territory before and not that long ago with Le Papillon and La Belle Marthe, both excellent examples of the genre. This has elements of both but is closer in locale and for want of a better expression meet-cute to Le Papillon inasmuch as the protagonists in Marthe were not only related but also the same sex, Aunt and Niece, whilst in Le Papillon the child was more or less neglected by her single-parent mother and so latched on to Michel Serrault and here a similar set-up obtains albeit one with a slight twist. We establish that Etienne Vollard (Olivier Gourmet) is both a mountaineer and a used-book seller, not the most credible combination but hey, this is a movie, right, and similarly establish that Pascal Blanchot (Marie-Josee Croze) is a single mother with a genuine affection for her daughter Eva (Bertille-Noel Bruneau) but not much of a clue about motherhood itself ergo she falls asleep in front of TV when she should be collecting Eva from school. Eva subsequently attempts to make her own way home, panics when she gets lost and runs in front of Etienne's van. For a while she is comatose in hospital and the doctors urge Pascal to talk to her constantly but little more than a child herself - at one point she describes herself to Etienne as a child with a daughter - Pascal opts out and it is left to Etienne, a part-time savant who retains every word he's ever read, to do the honours. In time Eva recovers consciousness but will only walk if Etienne holds her hand. Pascal finds work in another town and prevails upon Etienne to maintain visits to Eva as he is, in effect, the only game in town. When Eva's condition deteriorates he drives to the town where Pascal is working and takes her to the hospital but halfway there she asks him to stop the car and promptly seduces him. Employing what is perhaps an unorthodox form of therapy Etienne wraps Eva in a blanket and takes her mountain climbing in a snowstorm. He himself freezes to death but Eva makes a full recovery. This is actually a very fine film and the acting is top class so that it holds your attention despite the questions that demand answers like why no mention of Eva's natural father, how can Pascal run a car and a reasonable apartment with no visible means of support and why is there apparently no man or men in the life of a 28 year old woman who may not be a raving beauty but is neither a graduate of the Kennel Club. Reference is made to Etienne being an ex-alcoholic and wife-beater but only enough to tantalize and make us wonder at these contradictions in one persona - mountaineer-bookseller may give us pause but VIOLENT bookseller? As I said both the acting and technical credits are first rate and I'd certainly see it again.

With just two reviews before me and one of them that gives a detail account of the plot, I won't retell the story; anyway I seldom do (probably because I can't remember enough about it!) For me it's always about images and feelings - I'm glad one of the reviews had spoiler to help me make up my mind about certain facets. Feelings, there were plenty. The three central characters were so absorbing and the story line does make you reflect. Yet I was also wondering if the "recited" tale created the child's vision and attraction that produced such ending, there seemed to be no account of such link, perhaps it's my own imagination. I watched this film twice on my TV, once on my own without giving it full attention and today with friends but with distractions. Yet we had some interesting discussion about it as each of us saw something a little particular in ways of judging or prejudging characters. I did enjoy it and certainly needed to see it again. Where is my spoiler...I hope it's not my whole entry :)