A trip through Paris reveals the power of memory and connection
The new French film Driving Madeleine will no doubt remind American viewers of 1989’s Driving Miss Daisy and 2018’s Green Book, two award-winning American movies about disparate characters connecting because of a car ride. But Driving Madeleine (or Une Belle Course, its original French title) removes the racial themes and white savior narratives that garnered criticism of the latter two films, and it’s all the better for it. While slightly predictable, Driving Madeleine is a charming, intelligent, and warm character study. If you can’t take a Sunday drive through Paris any time soon, watching this film makes for a great substitute.
The film follows Charles (Dany Boon), a grumpy, middle-aged Parisian taxi driver with money troubles who isn’t much for making small talk with his passengers. But when his latest fare, the delightful and forthright 92-year-old Madeleine (Line Renaud) begins to chat, Charles can’t help but soften and engage with her. Madeleine is leaving her home to move into a senior care facility, and she asks Charles to make a few stops around Paris en route. All the stops are places that have meant something to her, and as she unspools her tale–the good and the bad–we see her memories, too, in flashbacks.
Madeleine has had her share of tragedies, many of which mirror France’s own traumatic history. Charles begins to realize what an exceptional and strong person Madeleine is, and his modern-day problems are put in sharp perspective. Madeleine’s story takes several turns you may not anticipate, but the film’s ending unfolds exactly as you may suspect. That doesn’t negate its impact, though. The concluding scene still manages to be poignant and moving, even if not wholly original.
What makes the film worth seeing is the lovely rapport between Madeleine and Charles. Renaud is marvelous as Madeleine, likable and frank even as she recounts upsetting incidents. And Boon lets us see that Charles is fundamentally a good and loving man, whose initial surly attitude stems from worry about providing for his family. Alize Isaaz, as the young Madeleine, also delivers a fierce performance that so well matches Renaud’s that we don’t doubt for a second that the two actresses are portraying the same character.
Directed by French director Christian Carion with an unhurried pace that sets the picture’s reflective mood, Driving Madeleine is more than a clear-eyed look at one brave woman’s past. Ultimately, the film is a testament to the fleeting nature of time itself, and a reminder for us all to enjoy life’s everyday moments, whether that’s a delicious meal with unexpected company, or a cab ride with a pleasant, interesting stranger. Because, as Madeleine herself reminds us, “it all goes by in a flash.”
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Driving Madeleine opens today at the Landmark Opera Plaza in San Francisco and the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, and will open at the Orinda Theatre on Friday, Jan. 26th.
