What a lovely way to spend an evening. The subject matter in My Afternoons with Marguerite [France, 2010] is complex yet the execution is simple, which is perhaps what makes this film that explores the unlikely friendship between an erudite elderly woman and an unsophisticated man rather special.
Gerard Depardieu's Germain is a bear of a man with street smarts who has been badly scarred from a lifetime deprived of affection. His tumultuous relationship with his mother (Claire Maurier) is still an issue, whereas to the cultured Margueritte (Gisèle Casadesus), the notion of a child being considered "a mistake" rather an "an object of love" is inconceivable.
The starting point from which Germain and Margueritte connect is that neither has children. Their conversation begins in the park with pigeons scampering after crumbs, and quickly skips topics until they start talking about books. But while Germain knows nothing about books and words, he is an avid listener, eagerly visualising scenes from books by Albert Camus. Suddenly the boundaries of his life expand and there is plenty of colour when we meet Germain's colleagues and friends at the local café Chez Francine, nonplussed by his sudden increased vocabulary and different reference points.
My Afternoons with Marguerite screens on Saturday, May 28 at 7 p.m. at Collins Hall. The running time is 120 minutes. As always, facilities for the hearing impaired will be available. Bring your own pillow for seating comfort. Doors and concession open at 7 p.m. Ten per cent of all door admissions are donated to the Bowen Island Community Hall and Arts Centre fund.
Preceding the screening will be a landmark annual general meeting of the Bowen Island Film Society. In keeping with our tradition this will be a free screening, though donations are welcome. Due to a set of circumstances which have progressively enlarged, BIFS finds itself in a position of imperilled continuance. Our attendance is slipping and our volunteer labour pool has eroded of late. Therefore this is a meeting vital for members of the society to attend. We will be discussing some proposals for restructuring our operations and mission. Please come and enjoy the usual fine concession offerings and My Afternoons with Margueritte to follow. Free. How can you go wrong?
Cordell Wynne
BIFS President
