Driving Madeleine (Une Belle Course) is a moving film retracing the surprising life of a 92 year old over the course of a day as she takes a taxi from her home to a nursing home where she will live out the rest of her days.
Charles (played by Dany Boon) is a grumpy taxi driver in his 40s who plays by his own rules – he ignores passengers giving him directions and tells them “Je sais ce que je fais” meaning “I know what I’m doing” (and he often surprises them with his route). He then gets a call that he is to travel to Bry-sur-Marne to the South East of Paris to collect a passenger to Courbevoie (which is to the North West of Paris).
The passenger that Charles collects is cheery 92 year old Madeleine Keller (played by Line Renaud, who was with Dany Boon in the wonderful Welcome to the Sticks in 2008). Her demeanour couldn’t be more opposed to the silent, grumpy, impatient Charles. She explains that she had a fall 6 months earlier in which she broke a bone so Doctors have decided she needs to be in an institution, a decision she is clearly not happy about.
This is of sorts Madeleine’s last day of freedom and she wants to relish in it by making a few stops along the way. She wants to go past Vincennes where she declares that everything has changed since she grew up there. A site where she lived as an adult has been turned into a police station and apartments. She worked as a seamstress in a theatre on Avenue Parmentier in Paris’ 11th arrondissement and tells Charles it was “another world”.
A woman of 92 in France would obviously have some war stories to share but the story that Madeleine shares with Charles in Driving Madeleine is not at all what you would expect. We won’t say much more about it so as not to give too much away.
Madeleine nostalgically talks of both love and loss. She tries to get Charles to open up about his own first kiss, a request which he almost immediately shuts down. Over the course of the day, as we learn more about Madeleine’s life, there is a visible change in Charles’ attitude towards her, and even towards his own life and problems. Madeleine’s smile and joie de vivre is infectious and inspiring.
Just as current day Madeleine is wonderfully portrayed by Line Renaud, so too is younger adult Madeleine played by Alice Isaaz. It would have been quite a difficult role to play but Isaaz was flawless. She was also fantastic in The Colours of Fire at this year’s AFFFF. As much as there is lightness in Driving Madeleine, this is a more serious film than we are accustomed to seeing Dany Boon in and he displayed his impressive versatility and talent.
L to R: Line Renaud and Alice Isaaz as current day and younger Madeleine (c) Une Hirondelle Productions/Pathé Films/TF1 films/Artémis Productions
Mention should also be made of the challenges involved in filming a movie set in a taxi in Paris. Realising that it would be very difficult to film in a taxi and be at the whim of terrible traffic in Paris, the filmmaking team came up with a novel solution. One option could have been filming in a studio with green screens to which images of Paris are later added in post-production, which means that the actors don’t get to see the surroundings they are meant to be in in real time. However, here they went further and filmed the journey from all angles via a truck with multiple cameras before filming with the car and actors. During filming with Dany Boon and Line Renaud, these images were played on 3 by 8 metre 4K screens completely immersing the actors in the Parisian environs they are supposed to be in.
Driving Madeleine is a beautifully stirring and compelling film, written by Cyril Gely and directed by Christian Carion, which is going to be released in Australian cinemas on 22 June 2023. It made its Australian debut at the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2023. The film was released in France in September 2022.
5 CROISSANTS
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Five other films from the AFFFF have since been released: The Innocent, November, and Saint Omer, Happy 50 and One Fine Morning
You may also like read our other reviews of AFFFF films:
A good Doctor delivers a dose of hilarity in the unexpected
Country Cabaret: a fun farm film to see at AFFFF 2023
Everybody Loves Jeanne: a funny and touching exploration of our inner thoughts and overcoming grief
Final Cut: a comedic zombie film that’s even for people who don’t like horror or gore
Jack Mimoun and the Secrets of Val Verde is a fun adventure
In On the wandering paths, Jean Dujardin takes the path less travelled
Ride Above is an inspiring, but predictable, film about finding the courage to ride again
Silver Rockers: a film inspired by the story of rocker retirees from Normandy
Sugar and Stars: an inspiring tale about the road to sweet success THIS FILM IS BEING RELEASED IN LATE JULY 2023
The Colours of Fire: an heiress seeks revenge
The Origin of Evil is a must-see film this AFFFF – THIS FILM IS BEING RELEASED LATER IN 2023
The Tasting is a film with depth and elegance
Umami is a feature film that should have been a short
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For events with links to France, French language and culture and the francophonie happening in Australia this month, check out our What’s on in June.
