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Grocer's Son (The)
R1 - America - Film Movement Review written by and copyright: James Teitelbaum (7th January 2009). |
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The Film
 Film Movement is a very cool subscription service that sends out a new DVD every month, each containing a complete indie film as well as a short film that often compliments the main feature in some way. "The Grocer's Son" is year 6, film 7. "The Grocer's Son" is a character drama about a selfish thirty-year-old man who is forced to leave his stagnant urban existance, only to find a sense of empathy while living and working in the country. In this French production, Nicolas Cazalé plays a Paris slacker named Antoine. He lives in a tiny one-room flat, and can't even hold down a job as a waiter. When his father - a grocer in rural Provence - has a heart attack, Antoine must move to Provence, in order to help his mother run the family business until his father recovers. Antoine's next door neigbor Claire (Clotilde Hesme) - who Antoine secretly loves - comes along too. She is trying to get into grad school and thinks the quiet country life will help her focus on her studies. The issue at hand here is that Antoine is kind of a jerk. He wants no part of his father's grocery business, and he wants no part of the rural French countryside. He doesn't get along with his family, and he can't be bothered to be nice to his father's loyal customers. The grocery business in question is sort of a precursor to services like Peapod. Antoine must wake up at dawn every day, and drive a van to a series of tiny villages, bringing food to the mostly elderly residents cargving out a life in the lovely French hills. He hates every minute of it. The custmers are old, cranky, and poor, making him drive kilometers out of his way to deliver three tomatoes, or short changing him by feigning deafness. Over time, Antoine comes to realize the value of these simple people, and of a simple life in a simple part of the world. Meanwhile, Antoine's brother Francois (Stéphan Guérin-Tillié) has been separated from his wife for two years, but will not admit it to his family. He is also a bit high strung, and this casues tension between Francois and all involved parties. By the way: Antoine and Francois? Is there a Truffaut homage going on here? (The character Antoine Doinel appeared as the director's alter-ego in five of 's films, beginning in the genius "The 400 Blows" (1959). "The Grocer's Son" features a solid and believeable cast, without a weak link. None of them get to indulge in any huge dramatic moments, but they are all convincing in their roles, from the irritable Antoine to any of his septugenarian customers.
Video
The aspect ratio is 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The cinematography of Laurent Brunet is showcased well on this disc. Even though the film is a character drama, Brunet still manages to squeeze in plenty of lovely shots of rural Provence. The image as a whole looks just a hair darker than it might; but the print is clean and compression is minimal. Running time is 1:35:01, divided into 12 chapters.
Audio
"The Grocer's Son" is presented in French Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo with English subtitles. Christophe Boutin's pop rock score consists of acoustic and electric guitars, electric piano, drums and occasional marimbas. It is a bit upfront in the mix at times, but the music works well in context.
Extras
Film Movement has included a short film, a promo spot, the film's theatrical trailer and a couple of bonus trailers. Below is a closer look at these supplements. This month's short film is "One Weekend An Month" which runs for 11 minutes 40 seconds. This film takes place almost entirely in one room and consists almost entirely of a woman speaking on the telephone while minding her children. The single mom has volunteered one weekend a month for National Guard service. One day, the unthinkable happens: she is called into full-time service and is due to be shipped off to Baghdad. Who will mind her children? Her stoner ex-husband? Her mother and step father? Step dad is not an option but we never find out why, and it is hard to truly feel sorry for this woman's plight: she kew the possibility of being called into active service existed when she signed up. She made some bad decisions, and now her kids will suffer. There are some sound and picture problems in the film as well. "Stella Artois Presents: Devil's Island" promo spot runs for 1 minute 31 seconds, this feature is presented as being sort of an additional short film, but it is really just a beer commercial. If corporate sponsorship is what is keeping the Film Movement series going, then so be it; at least they are being tasteful about it. There's also the original theatrical trailer for "The Grocer's Son" which runs for 1 minute 33 seconds. The disc also includes the following bonus trailers for: - "XXY" which runs for 1 minute 20 seconds. - "Choking Man" which runs for 2 minutes 25 seconds.
Overall
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