The Grocer's Son

Synopsis: Antoine (Nicolas Cazalé) lives a city life but returns to help out his mother (Jeanne Goupil) in a small grocer's shop in a northern French provincial village after his father (Daniel Duval) has a heart attack. It is soon obvious that no love is lost between Antoine and his gruff father. Accompanying Antoine is his platonic friend, Claire (Clotilde Hesme) who has a far more friendly and outgoing manner than the surly Antoine, who initially rubs most of the locals up the wrong way when he takes the shop van out each day on its rounds of the aging countryfolk. In the mix of this highly dysfunctional family is Antoine's brother, Francois (Stephan Guerin-Tillie) whom, it transpires, has issues of his own to deal with.

This is another gem in the "small film" category. Director Guirado prepared for 18 months for his film by studying actual travelling grocers in Corsica, the Pyrenees and southern France. His observations have definitely paid off, as he uses them to create a warm and intimate picture of a way of life that no doubt is fast-fading.

The local old folk dwelling in the tiny hamlets are a joy to watch, all perfectly portrayed, from the old chicken farmer, Clement (Paul Crauchet), who insists on paying Antoine in eggs, to Lucienne (Liliane Rovera), a brusque woman once famed for her youthful sexual exploits and bearing a large grudge against Antoine for having spied on her when he was a lad. Some affectionately humorous scenes arise out of her antagonistic relationship with Antoine.

Also finely observed are the details of Antoine's family with much repressed history and a seeming inability to talk about it. It is obvious that although the father's surly remoteness has been transferred to Antoine, he despises his son's lack of initiative in life, preferring brother Francois. The latter, meanwhile, has his secrets which he is unable to reveal to his family. Cazalé (nominated for a César for his performance) is exceptional as Antoine, whose self-absorption is seen in most of the early scenes. Instead of seeing the aging locals as valuable human beings Antoine dismisses them by saying "It reeks of death around here" and resolves to get away as soon as possible. However, through the playful and softening influence of Claire, Antoine learns how to treat the customers with kindness, while Lucienne and Clement also play an important role in his development. The relationship between Claire and Antoine is also beautifully handled with one especially delightful scene in which they decide to paint the van to spice up the grocery run.

I was struck by the gentleness of this film which captures the simplicity and stillness of rural life at the same time as acknowledging that it is a thing of the past. The filming of the local area, with its soft rolling hills and quaint villages is absolutely gorgeous. Guirado also cleverly manages to avoid stating the obvious, leaving out certain events and trusting the audience to have the sense to put it all together - a refreshing change that is just one of the rewards of this enchanting film.

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