Médecin de campagne

Other reviewers here have written about 'A Country Doctor' far better than I can. Still, I want to add a big thumbs up. This is a great, very well-acted movie that touches and warms the heart. It's about a country doctor who has devoted his life to helping his patients in the small village he lives in. When he is diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, he is assigned an assistant, who happens to be a female. There is some obvious tension between them at first. The script writer wisely uses their developing relationship, both professional and personal, in a totally tasteful way.

One thing I like about some French movies I've seen is that the plots are simple, but the results are profound because of the script, acting, etc.; also, there are many sub-plots that enrich the movie and give a lot of actors an opportunity to be in a movie. All the minors actors in this movie do a great job.

Because it's a French movie there's no discussion about money, what any treatment costs, etc. The French have a great health care system. They value human beings. Who wants to worry about money when one's health is involved?

The complexity of feelings is hinted rather than spread out, the sequence of events is suggested rather than shown. The unsaid prevails, concealing the characters' emotional depth, which leaves a lot to the spectator's imagination. Unlike Anglo-Saxon movies it is not overacted, loud, vulgar and stuffed with sex. Also the casting is excellent, all the patients and inhabitants of the region are more real than in real life.

My only criticism would be about too much music. Silence, as in most Ingmar Bergman films, has my preference. This is the reason of my 9 out of 10 stars.

The lives of doctors. Most of the film covered from the professional aspect and between two. A junior and a senior doctor. When I decided to watch it, I anticipated either fun or an inspiring film. But it was like too serious and a casual storyline. I mean it could have been a documentary, but the presentation was clearly a cinematic. Then all cinemas need a writing, so does it. More like from someone's real life experience. It had the ingredients, but everything was straightforward without twist and turn.

If you consider the story progressing to the next level is a twist or turn, then the film had a few of those often. Though they are not effective as what a viewer actually meant a real twist in the storytelling. Nowadays, twist means a mind blowing development/scene. The characters were well designed. Between the main two, the narration keeps hopping, revealing their lives as doctors, especially in the rural. There's more to it, that theirs commitments and differences within their passion for their work.

A single doctor who has been dedicated all his life to the poor patients from the rural, now discovered he has a brain tumour. He begins his treatment right away, but he was advised to retire and rest. That's where a junior doctor comes in. His replacement. The two work together, where she learns all his patients, but it was not a smooth ride. Since he's not happy to be replaced, particularly his patients are unique, their different style of treating the patients brings a crack in the relationship even before they had one.

❝What I call nature may be something else for believers. But don't tell me nature is beautiful.❞

One thing that unites them is the medicine. Despite the differences, they make their best effort to contribute from their field of expertise. They are the best doctors, but joining the hand at the wrong time is what the English translated title meant. That's almost the entire story of it. Along with their struggle in the rural settings like it be commuting from place to place, at day and night, whenever the service required.

The film justifies on the roles it focused on than the concept it deals with. So most of those who watches it won't say they saw a very good film. Even me too felt that way. That does not mean it was bad flick. Some people surely would enjoy it being as it is. I think the real doctors or their friends and families and patients, to see their similar experiences on the screen. What I had liked was, highlighting the work ethic between the rural and the city doctor. It was like a two different world.

I have rated it better, because of the quality of the content than what I wanted to have a nice time. Besides, it's almost free of clichés. Like no romance, no medical miracles or the unexpected subplot developed to brighten up the narration in places. That kept me going. Like I have already mentioned, it was practically a documentary feature, with a cinematic experience.

The trivia say, it was made by a doctor turned filmmaker. So what do you expect from such director. His previous flick too was about the same theme. Usually when such films are made, the writers, director do research for depicting the contents perfectly. That has not required here. Nicely made film, but not for everyone. One of the under- noticed film, and that's reasonable for such a film, but bashing it even after watching it like what illiterates does. So watch it and respect it or else do not think about it.

7/10

This is old school French cinema,which displays an humanism recalling Christian-Jaque or even the sometimes unfairly demeaned Jean-Paul Le Chanois.And Except for the rather unlikely abrupt happy end ,it works from start to finish: it is definitely the kind of the movie we are in need of today : it's not overtly optimistic -like the feel-good movies which mar the contemporary French scene : however Marianne Denicourt's warm smile can lighten the darkest night;François Cluzet's commitment to his work is extraordinary : the first sequences ,consisting of very short scenes ,show it all .But ,in an admirable sequence ,exhausted and disheartened ,Werner tells his colleague (us )how hard his prestigious occupation always involves sufferings,death: nature( some people call God) may be a wonderful thing ,but it(He ) makes mistakes or even monstrosities and our task is to correct them.

And correct ,mend ,both of them do: the old man dies in his home ,and he could not ask for more;the boy who passes for a half-wit may be an autistic with an exceptional memory -he is a scholar,as far as WW1 is concerned-: someday ,he may learn to read and to write .So it's not overtly pessimistic either.It's life and life only.There's a wonderful truce in their ceaseless fight ,when the people dance to Cohen's "Hallelujah",a moment when an infinite tenderness emanates from the fete .

It does not always avoid clichés:the first Cluzet/Denicourt confrontation follows the usual pattern: seasoned veteran/modern rookie,it's the same old song ,be they militaries, cops,teachers,or physicians : see the scene of the ganders ("put their beak into their a........");and Cluzet's family is cliché itself.And Nina Simone's superb "wild is the wind" does not fit the bill in that context as well as Cohen's song as a finale .

But after 15 minutes ,the movie hits its stride ,and the words often rings true;except for an old TV series ("Cecilia Medecin De Campagne", sixties),a whole movie was never devoted to the country docs' thankless work in France,and it's much to Thomas Lilti's credit to have broached the subject ,with a valid documentary side which is never dull,thanks to the two principals .Both will win you over.

It's life and life only;as the good old French cinema I like was.

When you get a good movie, that is a good story, with good actors and the whole thing knits together with no real nasties, then you finish the film in some frustration because it needed to go on another hour or so, so that you can wallow in the good feeling it gives out. Real people is the theme, real situations and no horrid surprises out of the blue. I enjoy this genre of French films, I wish other countries could grasp the idea of escapism that is quite realistic - so that life could be like this. Some familiar faces from other movies, as ever the beautiful French countryside stars too. I'm off to buy the dvd.