Wednesday 28 December 2011

Ensemble, C'est tout - Together, that's it

2007 by Claude Berri - French movie

This movie is actually known in the west as Hunting and Gathering. After watching the movie, I think it is not a fair title. Anyways, this is a Claude Berri movie, the director of one of my favourite movie - Jean de Florette, and I was very excited and I was really happy.

Camille, Phillibert and Franck, three youngsters, loners, living in the same apartment building meets and forms a friendship. Franck is very fond of his old grand mother.

This is quite different from the other Claude Berri movies I have seen. Actually it is a simple movie of three loners meeting and sharing. But what makes this movie special and make it extremely special is the grand mother. In fact the movie even begins with the grand mother, before it gets into the life of the youngsters. And the way the three treat the grand mother is really really special, something which is more like a message to the youngsters. I really believe Claude Berri wants youth to look at his three loners as models in treating old.  May be he didnt mean it at all, but whatever he has managed to make a simple and touching movie on love.

The three characters are really wonderful, especially Phillibert. He is completely different from typical young males that we come across in movies. And wonderfully played too. Audrey Tautou as Camille is brilliant as always. Sure there is no need to say how she performed. Does she ever make a bad performance? I dont think so. I simply wish, she put in some weight to cover her skeleton frame.

A wonderful cinema, it was.