La tête en friche

A sweet trifle of a film, taken to a deeper and richer level by two outstanding performances.

Gerard Depardieu, in what must be his 6,000th film still feels fresh and alive as the overweight, under educated and well meaning laborer who can hardly read, and who strikes up a chance friendship with the 94 year old Margueritte, played with amazing delicacy and life force by the wonderful Gisele Casadesus, who was an astounding 95 herself when this was made. Oh that we all should live so long with such grace.

Marguritte begins reading to the quasi-literate Germain, who finds his interest in reading sparked, and with it an expanded sense of self. He even finds himself falling in love (in a chaste almost childlike way) with the still beautiful Margueritte.

Simplistic, sure, sentimental, undoubtedly. But much like Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman in 'Driving Miss Daisy' these two actors give performances that make you want to forgive anything that might otherwise feel trite or too on the nose (e.g. the very literal flashbacks to Germain's childhood).

Not quite a great film, but a charming, sweet, life-affirming and very human one.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie. The story of a middle-aged man who can barely read, and doesn't enjoy it, and as a result has only odd jobs that pay little. He lives in an old trailer home in his mother's back yard, because that is all he can afford.

Then one day he meets a frail, elderly woman, who charms him by her very differences: she is a retired scientist, a highly educated and cultured woman, who has a passion for literature, which she loves to read out loud. He allows her to read to him, and becomes hooked by some great literature. It opens whole new worlds to him, and changes his life for the better. It also gives him the desire to really know how to read, and he sets about learning to do so, despite all the shame that involves for an adult man.

I liked this movie so much that I read the book on which it was based afterward. The novel, with the same title, is if anything even better than the movie. The end of the movie seems a little rushed, whereas the end of the book makes complete sense and is, I found, more satisfying.

Still, this is one very fine movie, with two great performances, by Depardieu and Gaby Casadeseus. It makes you feel good, without the mush that typifies what in the U.S. are called "feel good" movies. It would be interesting to see a good American director adapt it for American audiences.

I thought that Becker's "Dialogue avec mon jardinier" was an excellent film; but watching "La tête en friche", I think this is his master work.

Depardieu is "the" actor in the current French movie scene and I can't imagine anyone other in the role of Germain Chazes. But the film lives by the art of both protagonists: Gisèle Casadesus and Gérard Depardieu. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast than the well educated lady on the one hand and the proletarian worker who had the worst start in life one can imagine, on the other hand.

It is a very old subject which was already treated in 1668 by the novel of Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen "Simplicius Simplicissimus" where a very simple person, a shepherd, by education and learning makes career as an army officer. Nothing other is demonstrated in this movie: A simple boy (shown in the flash backs) who never had a chance to become an educated person, gets the chance to learn due to the caring of an old lady and becomes all of a sudden a different person.

He notices the the problems of his surrounding and even understands his mother in the end - who always treated him mean during her lifetime.

This is a very moving film which gives hope that people and persons can be changed in their behavior by much love and understanding of their surroundings.

An excellent performance of Gisèle Casadesus (at the age of 96 years!) and Gérard Depardieu.

I voted 10 of 10 points.

One of the greatest performance of French actor Gerard Depardieu lately. After the more somber and underground art film Mammuth, were you recognize somewhat the frees spirited Depardieu of the cult movie "Les Valseuses" (1974), here comes an unexpected tender and touching story of an adult that can barely read and an elderly lady from a retirement home. A love story begins, her love of words and books drives his desire to finally learn to "travel with words" and their love for each other blossoms. The director is know for his love of the human kind, undeserved as it may be, he glorifies the good one can do to another human being. It is a refreshing film, not a dark satire of society, but a joyful, hopeful, moving story with a true happy end. Don't miss it !

Jean Becker would never be able to make a living as a filmmaker in America. This should not be taken as a critique of him as a filmmaker, rather as a critique of America. This thought came into my mind as I sat virtually alone (with 2 others) in a 200 seat theatre, located in a booming city of over a million, on a Sunday evening, during the first week's release of his latest film MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE. How sad it is to see such a film virtually unnoticed here in the states. Oh well,....

The film tells the story of Germain, played very subtly by Depardieu, who is a gentle giant, a bit slow, but lovable. He lives with an abusive mother, makes a living doing odd jobs around town, spends his free time gardening and drinking with his friends, has a girlfriend whom he adores, and is very much content with his life. One day he meets Margueritte, a woman of 95, sitting alone in the park, reading and feeding the pigeons. A friendship blossoms. They have conversations, exchanging their views on life, she reads to him and even persuades him to pick up a book himself.

Marguerite is content with life, although lonely. She lives at a home for the aged, paid for by a distant relative. Germain gives her a companion, someone to share with the ups and downs of everyday life. She has seen and done much and now is ready to live out the rest of her days quietly. The ending of the film is quite wonderful and I will not spoil it for the reader. Like the ending of Becker's last widely released film CONVERSATIONS WITH MY GARDNER, it may appear to be overly sentimental. It shouldn't. It would be wonderful if more movies ended in such an upbeat way, celebrating life and the joys that simple human kindness can create.

As I try to go back over the film's many details, I find in it so much beauty and wisdom, the kind that is so much needed, but missing from modern life...