*****
Auteuil is perhaps best known to non-French audiences for his acclaimed work in Michael Haneke’s “Hidden”, an unnerving film about voyeurism and secrets. Here, he not only takes on the key acting role of patriarch and disillusioned father, he also directs and writes, adapting the screenplay from Marcel Pagnol’s French-language novel La Fille Du Puisatier.
Clearly this multi-hyphenated role proves far from being too much for him to handle and instead he proves himself adroit on all fronts. The film opens to beautiful, calm, idyllic pastoral scenes, with fields, woods, farmhouses and hills all perfectly framed. For the first half hour or so, there is the nagging suspicion that we are going to be presented with a very lovely-looking film, admirable in certain qualities, but failing to properly engage our emotions. But then as it slowly moves through the gears of the narrative and the escalating plights of the protagonists as war breaks out, Jacques is lost in combat and Patricia is banished to her aunt’s home, the performances fill out and embed themselves firmly under our skin.
Pascal could have remained a one-dimensional character, angry at his daughter and the overly-indulged Jacques, but instead Auteuil finds depths of pride, rage, irrationality and conflicted emotions, rendering him a fully formed human being. Likewise Patricia could easily have been a bland, wronged angel, but instead comes across as (by turns) ashamed, impulsive, honourable and stoic. Jacques is perhaps the trickiest character, remaining wholly unsympathetic for the most part, but again develops into something more rounded. Even his initially hysterical and superficially bitchy mother reveals depths of contrition and humility before the curtain falls.
A beautiful film to look at, with rich dialogue to savour and a raft of top-drawer acting performances. It takes a little time to hit its stride, but once it does it grabs hold of you and will likely force a smile onto all but the most reluctant of faces. The Well Digger’s Daughter is available on DVD from early April and I would encourage you to get it on your waiting list now.
[Rating:4/5]
Extras: Just a trailer
[Rating:0.5/5]
[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMwIK7u1iT8′]