Auteuil uses the heightened, old-fashioned staging to his advantage here, although frustratingly, not to comment on the characters’ actions. Instead he seems determined to embrace the theatrical nature of the performances it inspires for the hell of it – an effect that can be both playful and irritating.
Despite its very Gallic blend of amour and ennui, it’s as if a Sunday-night British TV series had crossed the Channel. For more, see Fanny…
A surprising resurrection of the old Pagnol tale, its a tad stagey but charming with it.
General release. Check local listings for show times.