Driving Madeleine, 2022.
Directed by Christian Carion.
Starring Line Renaud, Dany Boon, Alice Isaaz.
SYNOPSIS:
Madeleine, 92 years old, orders a taxi to take her to the retirement home where she will be living. Her driver, Charles, agrees on a drive through the streets of Paris visiting places important to her. Along the way they share conversation and reflect on the changing shape of the city and society.
The subtlety of fine acting performances is shown off brilliantly in this wonderful film. The two leads, legendary performer Line Renaud, and the distinguished actor Dany Boon, have known each other for years. This closeness perhaps allows them to give each other extra space to put across ideas for their respective roles. In any case, the connection between their two characters is wonderfully portrayed in this moving, tender and thoughtful film.
Driving Madeleine focuses on the forthright and mentally energetic titular 92-year-old, as she prepares to leave her home of many years to go into a retirement home. Her driver, Charles, is a grumpy Parisian cabbie, preoccupied with financial worries. The promise of a more than decent fare driving Madeleine around the city all day sounds like the good luck he could do with.
She asks him to take her to from one end of Paris to the other, back to the now rundown district where she grew up. Charles initially finds the old lady a bit trying, but he grungily agrees to the job as he needs the money. As the day goes on, we find out detail after detail about Madeleine’s back story, and what these places mean to her.
The story has a surprising twist played out in flashback sequences with Alice Issaz playing a younger Madeleine. Her personal story dramatically illustrates the struggle of women during the 20th century. This fractured narrative plays out remarkably well, with the past story carrying the intensity of strongly preserved memory.
Through these remembrances played out as Madeleine and Charles explore modern Paris, with its shops, cafes and restaurants, he learns the steps he needs to take to become more satisfied with his own life. In this way, it is Madelaine who is really guiding the driver, showing him where he needs to get to.
It’s a subtle and thoughtful film, beautifully delivered and showing us the complexities of life in all its pain and glory. The director Carion stays firmly in the background, letting his stars do all the talking. The third stat of the picture is Paris itself, a city with all the complexities and nuances of life itself.
Driving Madeleine is a beautiful film that shows the connection that humans from different walks of life can experience and share. Moving, profound and touching, it is a real treasure of a movie.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/ Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert W Monk
