Baptême (1989) - film review

A mining town in northern France, 1935.  Aline, a young waitress in a café, falls in love with one of her customers, Pierre, and persuades her reluctant parents to let him marry her.  It is the beginning of a life-long romance which, despite some ups and downs, endures right up until Pierre’s death thirty years later.  Just before the war in 1939, Aline and Pierre lose their first child, Rémi, in a tragic accident.  After the war, they rebuild their lives and have two further sons, François and Rémi, the latter named in memory of the lost first born.  Neither privileged nor well-educated, Pierre manages to provide his family with financial security by working hard and sacrificing all he has to those he loves.

In this simple yet poignant portrait of a modest French family, René Feret recounts the lives of his parents with evident tenderness and affection.  Although the film veers towards flagrant sentimentality in a few too many places, it is the kind of character-based drama which easily engages its audience and leaves a lasting impression.   The film shows that a life does not have to be hugely eventful to have been worthwhile and that the story of a humble working class man and his family can be just as instructive as that of a major historical figure.

© James Travers 2002

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