My Afternoons With Marguerite
In MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE, French film director Louis Becker has given us a delightful tale that deals with the complexities of the human condition.
The story, which is based on a novel by Marie-Sabine Roger, features a full-bodied Gerard Depardieu playing an illiterate man in his fifties. Opposite him is Giselle Casadeus, who at the age of ninety-five plays in spirited fashion the role of a little old lady who is passionate about reading.
Their chance meeting in a park becomes a magical moment for both of them. Despite differences in age and background, they develop a friendship that adds a whole new dimension to their lives.
As Becker said in a recent interview, "I like to make simple movies. I don't seek to be maudlin, I don't think I've gone for sentimentality. I'm simply trying to translate that emotion to the screen."
Becker's film deals with the important changes that can occur when the right ingredients of love, compassion and need combine to enrich the emotional fabric of people's lives.
It was thrilling to watch this theme unfold in MY AFTERNOONS, a film that shows how ordinary life can sometimes be transformed into something special and ennobling.
MY AFTERNOONS is a special treat. Look for it in theatres or on DVD in the months to come. (In French with subtitles)