Gaspard et Robinson (1990)
Directed by Tony Gatlif

Film Review

This bittersweet comedy makes a poignant statement about the importance of friendship and family in an increasingly fragmented society.   Beautifully filmed, with an attractive score from Michel Legrand, this is a film which appeals perhaps more to the senses than to the intellect.  The on-screen rapport between Gérard Darmon and Vincent Lindon is both touching and entertaining, and each of their characters is well-drawn and believable.   There are also some great comic moments in the film, although such comedy is used sparingly.  The main fault with the film is that there is really very little in the way of plot or character development and the film drags painfully in places, apprently having lost sight of where it is heading.

Film Synopsis

Although temperamentally very different, Gaspard and Robinson have become the closest of friends.  After his wife walked out on him on hearing that he had lost his job, Gaspard found his recurring bouts of depression hard to cope with, until the happy day when he met Robinson.  Even though his parents abandoned him when he was a small boy, the latter has an unerring knack of looking on the bright side of life.  As they wander around Marseille, the two friends agree to open a beach café on the barren salt marshes.  One day, Robinson takes pity on an old woman looking lost and abandoned by the side of a road and invites her back to his home.  Gaspard isn't exactly overjoyed when his buddy suggests they should allow the strange old woman to stay with them...