SAINT AMOUR

Three men fighting their own demons come together and embark on a whimsical road-trip through the wine districts in France, in this alluring film which is sure to captivate lovers of French cinema.

Gerard Depardieu is Jean, a recently widowed cattle farmer who wants to reshape his son’s (Benoit Poelvoorde) life as he is headed on a destructive path owing to his low self-esteem and blatant drinking problem.

Enter Mick (Vincent Lacoste) the mysterious Parisian taxi driver, who is employed to drive father and son on a therapeutic journey to reconnection and self-discovery.

A journey to resolution, where chance meetings with strange characters and sexual encounters ultimately lead to the three finding solace together, also paves the way to an unconventional and hugely unanticipated finale which should astound audiences.

This film, seemingly a travel brochure of the beautiful wine country in rural France, is a simplistic story of the mending of a father/son relationship. Mildly humorous and not overly sentimental, this is rewarding viewing for moviegoers who enjoy offbeat films and are not offended by graphic nudity and sex scenes. (MMo)

★★★

Screening at the French Film Festival, Mar 7-30. Tickets & info: www.affrenchfilmfestival.org