Coupe-franche (1989)

Coupe-franche is a French film comedy-drama first released in 1989, directed by Jean-Pierre Sauné.  The film stars Serge Reggiani, Julie Jézéquel, Wojciech Pszoniak, Guy Marchand and Pierre-Loup Rajot.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Recently released from prison, a young man, François, hopes to make a fresh start in a small community in the French Pyrenees.  There he is met by Gyuri, the man who brought him up as a child, and through whom he finds employment at the local sawmill.  The mill is owned by Mathieu and managed by his son-in-law Pierre Favier.  Despite his desire to settle down and avoid causing trouble, François cannot help being drawn to Pierre’s young wife, Marie…

This moody, emotionally charged drama is a promising first film from director Jean-Pierre Sauné.  The melancholic beauty of the rural location, filmed lovingly by Philippe Théaudière, gives body and layers of meaning to what would otherwise have been a pretty conventional French romantic drama.  Although the acting isn’t faultless, the characters are generally well-drawn and portrayed with great conviction and sympathy.  Pierre-Loup Rajot, who plays the central character François, shows great promise as a serious film actor.  Actor-turned-singer Serge Reggiani appears briefly in the film, in one of his last film roles.   Reggiani also sings the haunting ballad which accompanies the film’s closing credits.

© James Travers 2004

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