Mademoiselle Chambon [DVD]

MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON is a delicate, quiet interlude in the life of a construction worker in a little village whose gentle life is momentarily disrupted by the awakening of feelings of infatuation and the aftermath. Based on the novel by Eric Holder and adapted for the screen by Florence Vignon and director Stéphane Brizé, this little miracle of a movie is what the French do best - understated appreciation for passing passion in a world of ordinary days.

Jean (Vincent Lindon) is a construction worker happily married to Anne-Marie (Aure Atika) and adoring father of young son Jérémy (Arthur Le Houérou) and loving son of his retired builder father (Jean-Marc Thibault): he spends his hours away from his work tutoring his son with his wife and bathing his father's feet. Jérémy's new schoolteacher is the very reserved but kind Véronique Chambon (Sandrine Kiberlain, in life the wife of Vincent Lindon!) who requests that Jean speak to her class about his occupation as a builder - an assignment Jean is flattered to accept. The presentation goes well and Véronique hesitantly asks Jean to repair a window in her home. Jean accepts the job (Anne-Marie thinks it is such a kind gesture that she asks Jean to invite Véronique to lunch). Jean replaces the window for the quietly reserved and anxious Véronique, and afterward Jean, noticing that Véronique plays the violin, requests she play for him a 'tune'. It is obvious that the peripatetic teacher is lonely, and it is also obvious that Jean is struck by the fact that a woman of education and musical talent would pay attention to a simple construction worker. In a weak moment the two exchange a kiss and that kiss alters the manner in which each of these two gentle people react to life. The results of this chance encounter play out in the conclusion of the story, a story so tender and yet so grounded in the realities of life that it takes the viewer by the heart and doesn't let go.

The many varying moments of intimacy, whether those moments are between Jean and his son, Jean and his father, Jean and his wife, and Jean with Mademoiselle Chambon, are photographed like paintings by cinematographer Antoine Héberlé. The entire cast is excellent and the performances by the five leading actors are superb. The musical score consists of original music by Ange Ghinozzi with a generous sampling of music by Sir Edward Elgar and others. This frail bouquet of a film appreciates silence, the unspoken word, and the natural emotions of ordinary people living ordinary lives. It is a multifaceted treasure. Grady Harp, December 10

Saw this wonderful film at the City of Lights, City of Angels (COL/COA) French Film Festival in Los Angeles last spring, and I have been waiting until now for it to be available on Blu-Ray. If I can use a metaphor, watching this movie is like enjoying a wonderful French pastry...just sweet enough, with wonderful flavors, where often American romantic films can be compared to a Hostess donut. I am hesitant to give much in terms of description...check IMDB.com for one. I will just say that I was in a theater with hardened cineastes reduced to tears when this wonderful, romantic movie was over. I have been doing missionary work getting all of my friends to see this movie, and now with it coming to DVD and Blu-Ray, my work will be much easier.

Movies like Mademoiselle Chambon restores my faith in modern cinema. I had about enough of insipid romance dramas that lack any true emotion and appear contrived. When this movie title popped up as a recommended watch on Netflix, I thought I'd give it a try. This is one of those movies that stay with you long after the credits have rolled. It will appeal to those who appreciate a narrative that unfolds at leisure, taking its time to develop the characters, where there may appear to be too many long scenes of nothing much happening, but everything is done in a manner so as to convey the very real emotions experienced by the main characters.

The story centers on Jean (Vincent Lindon), a happily-married family man whose life is devoted to work (in construction) and his family, consisting of his wife Anne-Marie (Aure Atika), who works in a factory, their young son Jeremy (Arthur Le Houerou), and Jean's aging father. Everything seems to be clicking along fine, though the viewer senses life for Jean has settled into an all too familiar and monotonous rhythm. When Jean goes to pick up his son from school one afternoon, he meets Jeremy's teacher, willowy, sad-looking Veronique Chambon (Sandrine Kiberlain). She asks if Jean would be kind enough to talk to the children about his work, and he hesitantly agrees. During the presentation, one senses some sort of attraction developing between the two, and this attraction develops when Jean agrees to fix Veronique's broken window. It is at her apartment that Jean discovers Veronique's talent for playing the violin, and the haunting strains of her playing, with her back to Jean, cements the strong attraction between the two. Despite the social differences between the two, this developing romance is credible given that Jean senses Veronique's loneliness, and Veronique in turn sees a strong, gentle man in Jean. Both are also connected by their common love of music.

However, these are two decent people, caught in a difficult situation - how are they to act on their natural impulses and give in to their undeniable attraction for each other when Jean is married to a kind, loving woman and has a son to provide for? This movie explores not only the theme of forbidden love, but also of the choices individuals make and the consequences they live with. It reminded me of Falling in Lovewith Robert de Niro and Meryl Streep, but this is far superior in its execution.

The two leads are compelling in their portrayal of the quiet Jean and shy Veronique - there is a haunting quality to both performances that had me riveted to the screen the entire time. Even mundane scenes, like when Jean is bricking up a wall is significant as it shows Jean's torment and struggle within himself. There are many such scenes in this movie - slow, unfolding, tender moments that just stay within your heart and leave indelible impressions on one's mind. The soundtrack is also beautiful - the strains on the violin and the mesmerizing voice of the singer at the end went perfectly with the final, memorable scene. A beautiful, lyrical movie that I will not soon forget.