Film Review
Jean-François Stévenin may never have been a household name
in France but for half a century he has been a prolific screen actor with
around two hundred film and television credits. He began his career
in the late 1960s, early '70s working with some of the great auteurs of the
period, most notably Jacques Rivette (
Out 1), Paul Vecchiali
(
La Machine) and François Truffaut (
La Nuit américaine,
L'Argent de poche).
Since, he has rarely been away from our screens and has garnered considerable
respect as a supporting actor in a wide variety of genres.
In 1978, Stévenin made his directing debut with
Passe montagne,
an idiosyncratic low-key variation on the classic buddy movie. This
is an intimate and personal portrait of friendship and solitude, set in the
beautiful Jura Mountains where its director grew up. Stévenin
also stars in the film, playing alongside Jacques Villeret, another great
actor who is best known today for his comedic performances in such films
as
La Soupe aux choux (1981)
(in which he played a totally unforgettable extraterrestrial opposite Louis
de Funès) and the hit Jacques Veber farce
Le Dîner de cons (1998).
Villeret and Stévenin have personalities and character traits that
are markedly different and yet both convey the same sense of inner pain and
fragility, which the film exploits to marvellous effect. Their quiet,
understated performances express so much about their internal woes that dialogue
is almost superfluous. Their gestures and looks convey far more than
any quantity of verbiage in this arresting portrait of two solitary middle-aged
men responding to each other's unspoken appeal for companionship and understanding.
Passe montagne is a subtly moving film which deals perceptibly with
a profound need that we all feel from time to time time - the need to connect
with others in order to make sense of ourselves and feel part of a wider
cosmos.
Some stunning photography (by Jean-Yves Escoffier and Lionel Legros)
not only captures the exquisite beauty of the Jura setting, it also conveys
something of the protagonists' angst-ridden yearning for a closer communion
with the natural world. It is as if the lead characters' glimpse of
paradise has opened their eyes to new vistas as to what life is really about;
suddenly they see a way through their respective mid-life crises, to a mountain
pass that grants access to a happier, more fulfilled future.
Passe montagne is a remarkably understated film, a welcome change
from the showy commercial offerings that dominated French cinema at the time.
Whilst its languorous pace and lack of incident may make it a challenge for
some spectators, it has a simplicity and charm that is beguiling for those
willing to stick with it and accompany its two leads on their journey of
self-discovery. Encouraged by the positive reviews he received for
this debut piece, Stévenin went on to direct to similarly individualistic
auteur pieces:
Double messieurs (1986) and
Mischka (2001).
© James Travers 2002
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Film Synopsis
When his car breaks down one evening in the Jura Mountains, a Parisian architect
named Georges accepts the help of a local mechanic, Serge, who tows the car
to a garage. Serge lives nearby, in a small mountain village, and feels
obliged to invite the stranger to spend the night in his forest house, whilst
the car is being repaired. Georges gladly accepts and, the following
morning, he is in no hurry to go and collect his car. He would rather
take the time to get to know his host a bit more The two men
find it hard to speak to one another, but in spite of this a deep friendship
has soon developed between them. Together, they set out to explore
the local countryside and socialise with their neighbours...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.