Susan Granger’s review of “The Girl from Paris” (Film Philos)
Nominated for two Cesar awards, including Best First Feature Film, Christian Carion’s whimsical tale revolves around Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner), an almost-30 Internet instructor who yearns to escape from Paris to the fresh air of the Rhone-Alps. To make her dream a reality, she goes to Agricultural School and buys a picturesque but remote goat farm from Adrien (Michel Serrault), a grumpy, elderly widower who – while he has plans to retire to Grenoble – refuses to leave for 18 months. Secretly, Adrien doubts that this “kid from Paris” can make it by herself, although her clever renovations soon turn a desolate, old barn into “Balcony in the Sky,” a small hotel to which eager, ecology-minded tourists flock. To Adrien’s chagrin, Sandrine even begins to sell her goat cheese to Germans on the Internet. However, the harsh cruelty and utter isolation of winter is another matter, particularly when Adrien sabotages Sandrine’s electricity and she’s forced to seek refuge with him. During that time, she learns how “mad cow disease” devastated his herd and a bond between the two “loners” grows. Perhaps she could be the daughter he never had, or he could be the father she never knew. Problem is: the script by Christian Carion and co-writer Eric Assous glosses over too many crucial points. Like how does Sandrine manage to have so much free time to frolic in the sun if she’s really running a farm single-handedly and making cheese? Why doesn’t her estranged mother visit her? And who is the mysterious hang-glider who haunts her dreams? Instead, it dwells on repugnant shots of animals being slaughtered and goats born dead. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Girl From Paris” is a scenic but unsatisfying 6. In French with English subtitles, it’s a charming trifle.
