Directed by Louis Becker
It all begins with an unlikely encounter in a park. Germain (Gerald Depardieu) is in his mid-fifties when he meets 94 year-old Margueritte (Gisele Dasadesus) at a park bench. There is 40 years and about 200 pounds difference between the two, but they strike up a conversation about the pigeons. The erudite Margueritte is a passionate reader but the almost illiterate Germain tells her that he tried reading once but it didn’t work. Over a period of time, Margueritte shares her passion of reading with Germain and they develop a close friendship. When Margueritte reveals that she is going blind, Germain is forced to overcome his childhood demons and learn to read so that he can return Margueritte’s kindness.
Maybe 95 year-old Gisele Dasadesus made Gerald Depardieu lift his game because, despite being very overweight, this is the best acting he has come up with for years. His character is a gentle soul who lives with and cares for his demented mother who has obviously been abusive towards his for his whole life. He is no simpleton, but being bullied at school by both students and teachers did not help his chances of learning anything. Now his so-called friends at the local pub make fun of him on a regular basis, and he retreats to tend to his garden and tell all his problems to his cat Jeremy.
This dialogue-based film, from the director of Conversations With My Gardener, is one of the best romances to hit the screen for quite a while. It has been described as “a film with real heart†and it explores all sorts of love, even though this is not really revealed until the end of the film. There’s the love of a friend, physical love, love of family and finally love of oneself.
Lezley Herbert
