I loved this simple movie. Depardieu and Gisele Casadesus are just the right mix to portray a couple of lonely people who need each other, for different reasons. Depardieu's character is basically illiterate, and he grew up bullied both by kids and his own mother who treated him like a dog. The Elderly Casadesus' character is alone and lonely. They begin to help each other through books and learning. Of course, there are twists and turns and a perfect ending. Not sticky sweet or maudlin. I watched it for free on Kanopy (free subscription through your library).

Sweet and remarkable

Everyone is nice but there is the bad husband (called Youssef) the bad mother ( Spanish who dances the flamanco) the bad nephew (Belgian with the required accent) I do not see how the precision of their origins brings what so ever in the scenario. Just the small reflexes of xenophobia ordinary to the frankfurters, sausage-baguette style Amelie Poulains french frogs . Nauseous.

Film pour la télé et pour les gens agés, pas de doute. Amusant parallèle de la vie d'enfant du héro avec sa vie courante et comment il déconstruit la manière gênante de son élevage, si je puis dire. C'est assez comique par occasion même si on devine ce qui va se produire ou dire. Deviner juste est en fait un amusement en soi.

Enjoyable drama where unlikely feel-good connections are made.

Quite often films like this can be seen as sickly and rather a bit much for those who want a more realistic plot as well. With this you can get that feeling of emotion that can feel a little showy, kind of like "look here we are trying so hard to make you feel all fuzzy", I'm not saying that is all together a bad thing but I do feel movies like that can get a little too seen before sometimes. The movie has a small cast in terms of main characters but that makes it much more personal and at times you can kind of connect to these French townsfolk and the entire goings on that happen. The plot is about a man named Germain who is a little on the less intelligent side but is a sweet man in ways and shows it in this film most whilst feeding his beloved pigeons in the park. Germain comes across an old lady who also feeds the pigeons and strikes up a nice little friendship where both tell each other of their lives and read to each other as well. Of course not all the plot is set in the park and between these two characters, Germain also has to contend with his less than loving mother and friends who often ridicule him for his less than smart remarks. I felt the story does go along nicely, yet again the sickly parts can clog up part of this small and light movie but in the end it isn't long enough to make me care about much of the more cheesy moments. Gerard Depardieu is Germain and he does a good job, he makes him exactly what he is meant to be, not too intelligent but caring, can get a little angry but at the same time wants to learn and better himself too. It is not only Depardieu who is good, Gisele Casadesus as the old lady and the name in the movie Margueritte is in fine form, she is acting here way into her 90's and really gives this her all and creates a likeable character and a little lady who maybe could remind many of us of grandmas. I liked most of the cast as well but I also like that the main two are given a lot of time together, the movie never tries to make too much small talk with minor characters and so I felt it flows well for such a short film. Jean Becker directs and does a nice job; I felt he captured the right tone of the town used and gets that French film kind of spirit really going. Becker co-writes as well and the script is really where a lot of the movie can feel overly sweet, the ending leaves a nice taste but boy just before that it made me think it was going to be a horrendous ending and too predictable, would have ruined the movie but luckily the guys behind this get it right. I must also mention the wonderful score which is not used a lot but when it is it's lovely and really brings out the best of the certain scenes involved. With this you can get that kind of award bait movie that really tries to either pull at the heart strings or make you laugh or sometimes both and this movie feels very much like that. I will say though that it is recommendable, it is layered in typical kind of plot but still wraps the whole thing up nicely and adds a nice little bow to this more than OK movie. Don't expect something amazing, this is good but far from sublime, still shows though the genuine skill that French cinema can produce and also that Depardieu is still going strongly as an actor.

What a warm loving film, loved it

This is such an amazing experience!

Esse é um filme doce e maniqueísta. Porém, seu maniqueísmo só se reflete nos personagens secundários, aqueles que são criados para criar tensão e colorir o universo de Germain Chazes, um faz-tudo que vive em um trailer. Todos zombam de Germain por ser ignorante, e sua ignorância é explicada através da diferentes flashbacks de sua infância onde ele é maltratado pelos professores e por sua própria mãe, que o considera um acidente. A relação entre os dois é a base para entendermos a dinâmica de sua nova amizade com Margueritte, uma senhora que se senta à tarde na praça da cidadezinha onde moram para observer os pombos e realizar uma atividade para ela prazerosa e para Germain uma verdadeira tortura: ler. Porém, à medida que ele aprende que ler é enxergar o mundo à sua volta através de símbolos cuja tradução lhe foi negada desde criança, Germain passa a se tornar o que chamamos de homem completo, o que é interessado em sua vida e busca seus próprios interesses. É capaz de se soltar das amarras nefastas da ignorância graças ao convívio com uma pessoa que, apesar de estar no fim da vida, ainda tem muito a oferecer a qualquer um que tiver a paciência de parar e ouvir. cinetenisverde.com.br

Beautiful and poetic movie. I hate Depardieu, but he is really great in this role.

Great movie. Gerard Dipardieu is a monumentally talented actor who shines in this film. Feel good movie that will tug at your heart strings.

A very engaging sweet movie. A French feel good movie.

A nice little French film, touching and charming.

Simple and very well told story with a role made to the size of Depardieu

what a beautiful romantic drama about a local man, verbally abused by his psychotic mother grows up to develop a friendship at the park with Marquette, an old lady who likes to feed the pigeons and read books out loud. through her help, Germaine learns how to read and understand what he reads plus learns to appreciated the world around him. It is a French film. Very well acted and the storyline is superb. a must see.

An interesting friendship and turn of events...

As a freelance handyman, Germain(Gerard Depardieu) leads an up and down life. On the down side, there is trying to get money out of clients for a completed job, writing his name on a war memorial and living in a trailer in clear sight of his domineering mother(Claire Maurier). At least, Annette(Sophie Guillemin), a much younger bus driver who he is dating, will spend the night with him there. As far as his afternoons go, there is Margueritte(Gisele Casadesus), an elderly woman who befriends him over lunch one day in the park. "My Afternoons with Margueritte" is a touching slice of life movie that is helped by a thoroughly lived in performance from Gerard Depardieu. As the movie states eloquently, it is about love in all of its forms, including between generations.(I still think it is weird to be called 'young man' this side of 40.) A special emphasis is given to a love of literature. For the record, Germain is not stupid, nor really slow, just uneducated, which may not be surprising considering his bad experiences with the educational system when he was growing up. And you can see what might have happened if he had a good teacher to guide him in the first place.

Depardieu ALWAYS makes a movie.....perfect for a sunday arvo.

Yes, good one, Master Depardieu. A little bit 'Driving Miss Daisy' and a bit saccharine, but overall very worthy and well-acted. And all heart. Watch this.

A beautiful film about a semi-literate man and a 95 year old woman (played by a 97 year old woman!) who shares her love of reading with him. After toxic dosages of Hollywood's big budget, derivative and lifeless films, this was like freshness incarnate, a film that depends on powerful performance of the two charismatic leads and a script that handles fairly a wide range of issues, from bad teaching practices in schools to the treatment of senior citizens, without seeming to preach at the audience, this is a little gem of a film, and highly recommended for people who love to read!