29 June, 13:30 – a Screen Gems screening, £5
“Depardieu’s the best he’s been for years, while 95-year-old Casadesus is a sheer delight. Only the French could get away with such an old-fashioned charmer.“ Philip Kemp, Total Film
Germain Chazes (Gerard Depardieu) is a middle-aged loner who lives in a van outside his mother’s home and does odd jobs for a living. When he meets Marguerite (Gisele Casadeus), a highly cultured and well-read elderly woman living in a nearby retirement home, she introduces him to her passion for literature. As Germain’s desire to learn to read is ignited, a deep bond develops between the unlikely pair.
This gentle gem is a companion piece to writer/director Jean Becker’s Conversations With My Gardener. It continues the line of films, such as My Dinner With Andre, which are overtly – and satisfyingly – concerned with ideas. This has the added bonus of two commanding performances; Depardieu taking himself seriously (and allowing us to), while co-star Casadeus’ performance shows the experience of her venerable 80 years in film.
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