IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: CLAUDE BERRI
Cast: AUDREY TAUTOU, GUILLAUME CANET, LAURENT STOCKER
RunTime: 1 hr 47 mins
Released By: Shaw and Festive Films
Rating: TBA
Official Website: http://www.festivefilms.com/hunting

Opening Day: 18 October 2007

Synopsis:

Adapted from Anna Gavalda's bestseller, “HUNTING & GATHERING” (Ensemble, c'est tout) is the story of four destinies at a crossroads, four people who learn each other's ways, come to know one another, love one another and live under a single roof.

Camille (Audrey Tautou) works evenings as an office cleaning woman, makes graceful drawings in her free time. Philibert (Laurent Stoker) is a young, aristocratic history buff. Timid, emotional and solitary, he occupies a spacious apartment owned by his family. Franck (Guillaume Canet) is a cook, both virile and tender, who has an undying love for his grandmother, a fragile and funny elderly lady named Paulette.

Together, they learn to ease their doubts and sorrows. Together, they move forward toward making their dreams come true.

Movie Review:

After watching this French movie, this reviewer walked out of the theatre, wondering what impact it had on him. There was no extraordinarily innovative storyline, there was no stellar performance from the cast, and there was no sign of any emotional outburst or showcase of special effects whatsoever. Everything in this Claude Berri-directed film seems so… normal.

And that is the beauty of this 107-minute flick.

Everybody’s Audrey Tautou (Priceless, The Da Vinci Code) plays a cleaner who meets a shy history buff who lives in with a handsome cook (no, the two men are not gay). While it looks like the sweet bashful one is going to develop a romance with Tautou, the strapping one sweeps her off her feet. Then there is a granny who is on the verge of dying, who provides the anchor for this movie based on a novel by Anna Gavalda.

One may not be too clear what the movie is trying to say, with its exploration of themes like love and old age. But it is exactly this mixed bag of subject matters that make this an engaging yet meaningful portrayal of urban lifestyle. The people you meet everyday, the people who inspire you, the seemingly insignificant exchange of conversations are the intricate observations made by the filmmaker in this accessible flick.

Tautou is ever so gorgeous as the cleaner woman who finds meaning in life with her constant pencil sketches and romantic muses. As the stuttering house mate, Laurent Stocker makes you think that he is a typical gay man who wears velvet suits and bowties, but his gradual character development will show otherwise. Meanwhile, Guillaume Canet (Merry Christmas, Love Me If You Dare) epitomizes male charm without being a chauvinist.

The gem of this movie has to be Francoise Bertin, who plays Canet’s dying grandmother. Her deep wrinkles and look of kindness will touch anyone who has a heart. One of the most moving scenes in the movie sees Tautou bathing Bertin, and then proceeding to sketch her half naked. Accompanied by a soothing French soundtrack, the loving and caring tenderness of the sequence will touch your soul.

The simple camerawork by Agnes Godard and the lovely music are typically French, and will be enjoyed by everyone.

Some other seemingly mundane but affecting scenes include Tautou having a Christmas party with her colleagues, Stocker performing a monologue on stage and Canet cooking in the kitchen. While it may not strike the average viewer that these everyday scenes are extraordinary, the collection of these episodes is what makes this film a poignant reflection of our urbanized lives.

Movie Rating:

(A lightweight French movie that will brighten up the dullest of days)

Review by John Li