In new French release ‘Driving Madeleine’, Charles is a down-on-his-luck Parisian cab driver unable to catch a break. The universe seems to be throwing him a bone when one Madeleine Keller requests a taxi to take her from one side of Paris to the other. Little does he expect that this journey will have a profound effect on both their lives before it is done.
“I read [the script] in one go on a train and by the end of the journey I was in tears. All of us face this question one day: what will happen to our parents when they get old?”
Christian Carion
I have not been so moved by a film in a very long time. ‘Driving Madeleine’ is a beautiful, intimate story, expertly told, with just the right amount of pathos. Line Renaud shines as the titular character, bursting with life from the moment she appears on screen (and winning a Tiantan award for best actress as a result). Yet Dany Boon is no less wonderful as Charles, her jaded foil. Their undeniable chemistry is what makes the film work.
“This woman who gets into my cab is living in a suspended moment, she’s almost already outside of life…she accepts her finiteness. Her look back at her past is calm and full of humanity yet very spontaneous…Charles struggles with life…At first, he’s shut off from everything around him…Madeleine helps him find who he really is…”
Dany Boon
Without spoiling anything, Madeleine’s story turns out to be a small part of a very big one – both within the film, and the film itself. Women’s rights issues do appear in cinema, but the focus is usually on prominent events or movements. In Driving Madeleine, director Christian Carion takes the time to explore more of the everyday experiences, allowing Madeleine’s personal narrative to take centre stage – with a 92 year old character, there is a lot to explore!
“I think she’s the most beautiful character I’ve ever played…I grew up around women like her…Madeleine is my mother, my grandmother and even my great-grandmother. I see them in my character’s tormented story.”
Line Renaud
It is this personal story that I will take away from Driving Madeleine. That every life is full of tragedies, some big, some small. That those tragedies will end, even if it doesn’t seem that way. And when they do, you will not only be able to live, but live well. Also that, despite never being given that label in-film, Madeleine is an absolute punk through and through!
Seriously, do yourself an emotional favour and go see Driving Madeleine when it releases on the 17 November. You won’t regret it.