Le Temps des porte-plumes (2006) - film review

In the summer of 1954, nine-year-old Pippo is adopted by Gustave and Cécile, a farming couple who live in a region of central France.  Previously, the little boy had been in the care of social services after being neglected by his parents.  Pippo finds its difficult to adjust to his new life in the country, particularly as Cécile is a reluctant foster mother.  He befriends Alphonsine, a reclusive old woman who is known locally as the Witch and, slowly, he warms to his new father.  But when the school bullies turn on him, he reacts in kind, and merely gets himself into ever deeper trouble.  In the end, Cécile can no longer put up with Pippo’s rebellious streak and convinces Gustave that he must be returned to the place from which he came.  This separation proves to be harder than she imagined...

For this exquisitely crafted tale of childhood adoption and rebellion, actor-turned director Daniel Duval draws heavily on his own experiences and delivers one of his most engaging and authentic films to date.  Although the story is simple and not entirely devoid of clichés, Duval’s understated direction and some truthful performances give it both a lyrical charm and a powerful resonance. 

Le Temps des porte-plumes is set in the 1950s and the austerity and slow pace of rural life of this period are perfectly captured by this film.  The characters are realistically and affectionately drawn, and played to perfection by a high calibre cast.   Jean-Paul Rouve and Anne Brochet are superb, as ever, as the adoptive parents whose troubled relationship is further threatened by their rebellious young charge.  Annie Girardot gives a heart-melting turn as the solitary old woman who befriends the disturbed youngster Pippo, who is equally well played by a highly promising child actor, Raphaël Katz in his debut role.

Duval is wise not to make this merely a literal account of his own childhood.  Undercutting the film’s poetic fairytale innocence, there are some serious social themes, and the film reminds us that the best cure for a wayward spirit is not sanction, but love.  Nor does the film overlook the wider context of its period; there are references to the wars in Indochina and Algeria - not a happy period to be growing up in.  The film’s focus, however, is its central character, Pippo - his struggle to adjust to his new life and forge a relationship with his adopted parents after having been so badly let down by his biological parents.   This is a subtly poignant, delightfully crafted nostalgia piece that deserves a much wider audience than it will probably get.

© James Travers 2010

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