Pleure pas Germaine (2000) - film review

In an industrial Belgian town, the Bedard family has had more than its fair share of bad luck.  The father, Gilles, has been unemployed for some time, and the mother, Germaine, is struggling to keep the family together after the death of their eldest daughter, Rolande.  Germaine suggests they leave the town and start a new life in the Spanish Pyrenees.  Giles refuses until he learns that the man thought to be responsible for the death of his daughter is living in that region.  Finally, the two parents and their four children pack up their few belongings and set out for the Spanish mountains...

Based on the best selling novel by Claude Jasmin, Pleure pas Germaine is a bittersweet, nostalgic portrait of life in a working class family.  As society fragments around them, the film shows, perhaps with a touch of optimism, the resilience of the family unit to stick together come what may.  It is the first full length film to be directed by Alain de Halleux, who is perhaps better known for his impressive work as a photo-journalist.  Beautifully filmed, with the poetry and realism of a documentary, the film manages to be both poignant and amusing.  Restrained, naturalistic performances from all of the cast serve the film well, adding to its realism and allowing the audience to develop a closer rapport with the characters they so magnificently portray.  This is a simple, modest film, but one that is crafted with great tenderness and humanity.

© James Travers 2004

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