Dans la cour

I saw this film at the Berlinale film festival 2014. It was the international premiere in a venue with more than 1,500 booked seats, in presence of film makers and main actors. There was no Q&A afterwards.

I'm not sure why I liked this one much more than "A Long Way Down" (Chaumeil, 2014) that I saw earlier in the same week, in spite of many traits they have in common. Both films are mere entertainment, casting well known actors which will attract many viewers regardless of its contents, neither has an express intention to carry a message or a morale, both will trigger several laughs, and have more than sufficient unexpected turns of events. I assume that the courtyard film had a definite advantage in its diversity and strangeness of the main characters living in the large house, in fact in a micro cosmos, yet not too far fetched and not too artificial, all that working to keep us interested throughout its running time. It has no useful purpose to summarize the plot here. The story line is very easy to follow, the characters are properly introduced and one gets ample chance to get to know them better.

What to do when you are depressed? Help somebody out who is depressed as well. Two like minded depressed souls are the main characters of this endearing, lighthearted french story. Catherine Deneuve is one of them. Her name was the reason I was drawn towards to this french quirky story. Deneuve's acting skills are way out there, even at her old age, she can carry a story by her own. The other main character played by Gustav Kervern is splendid and funny in his catatonic depressed style of acting.

What's the story about? Two depressed souls help eachother out, when they accidentally meet eachother in the courtyard of their apparment complex. The story is quirky, funny and endearing. And yes it is very slow, mirroring the depressing mood both characters are in. Definitely not a crowd pleaser, only suited for an arthouse audience who likes to watch depressed people fumble through their lives.

What makes this movie especially endearing is it's courage to deal with mental issues, in a serious way, yet the mood of this story remains very lighthearted, with some unexpected shattering moment of deep grief.

"In the Courtyard" (2014 release from France; 0riginal title "Dans La Cour"; 97 min.) brings the story of Antoine. As the movie opens, we see Antoine, who is a singer in a rock band, refusing to go on stage due to lack of sleep or some such. By happenstance, Antoine literally stumbles onto a better gig: being the concierge of an old apartment building in the heard of Paris. Mathilde, played by Catherine Deneuve, and her husband are one of the tenants. To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first and foremost, I picked up this movie without knowing anything about it other than it stars Catherine Deneuve, and that's a good enough basis for me. I was right, Deneuve plays Mathilde, a seemingly super-active woman who as the movie unfolds suffers from more than just that. It is another brilliant performance from Deneuve, who scored her 12th (!) Cezar-nomination (France's equivalent of the Oscars) for Best Actress for this role (she did not win). We get to many of the building's other characters, each with their own quirks and problems. The movie almost has the feeling of being a filmed stage play, as pretty much all of the movie unfolds with the building and on its courtyard. Beware: this movie is labeled as a comedy-drama, but let's be clear: there isn't much comedy, let alone laugh-out-loud moments. Rather, this movie is a study of characters, and leaves a bittersweet aftertaste, slightly more bitter than sweet.

I recently picked up this movie at the foreign movie section of my local library. "In the Courtyard" certainly isn't bad, but lacks some tension and a better mix of scenery. That said, if you are a fan of foreign movies, I'd encourage you to check this out. Chances are that you will be watching in amazement, as I was, of Catherine Deneuve's performance.