Folies Bergère

What a beaut film! Brigitte (Isabelle Huppert) and husband Xavier (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) are long-married, middle-aged and live in rural bliss, raising Charolais cattle.

But life seems incomplete for Brigitte. A young man at a party lures her to Paris where she meets a charming Dane (Michael Nyqvist). “Oh, the good life, full of fun, seems to be the ideal, Yes, the good life, let’s you hide all the sadness you feel.” (Sacha Distel)

Dialogue and action flow so naturally here that you forget you’re being told a story. One of the most poignant aspects of life is the gap between our reality and our aspiration. Brigitte is blessed to eventually conclude that her aspiration and her reality are one and the same.

No guns, no car chases, no CGI, no superheroes – just real people experiencing life. French cinema?  Long may it reign! To quote Mr. Benaud: “Marrrvellous that.” (MMu)

4.5/5 stars

Written by Michael Muir