Mademoiselle Chambon (2009)
Certified: 14
Duration: 101 minutes
Directed by: Stephane Brize
Starring: Vincent Lindon, Sandrine Kiberlain, Aure Atika, Jean-Marc Thibault
KRS release
Mademoiselle Chambon is a slow burner of a movie that brings together the stereotypes one associates with French cinema in a beautiful and elegant manner.
A romance that can actually happen
It is a film about an unrequited love – a love based on passion but not necessarily carnal.
Vincent Lindon plays a builder named Jean, a modest man of few words. He seems to have the perfect life: he has a beautiful wife and a young son. His life turns upside down when he meets his son’s new teacher, Mademoiselle Chambon (Sandrine Kiberlain). The spark is instant.
The blonde Veronique Chambon invites Vincent to speak about his building trade with the children and brings out in him a passion for his job. When he agrees to do some work for her he has a chance to look at her apartment. Here he sees the divide that lies between them. She comes from a world of books and music but has a strong fear of commitment.
This is the start of a relationship that builds up slowly but is very intense.
Music plays a distinct element in this film, as it opens a window to the characters’ hearts and innermost feelings.
Emphasis is also played on giving the film an authentic look: Here it is not on polished Hollywood glamour but rather on a romance that can actually happen. The characters seem to have walked out of the street into the screen.
Lindon is simply captivating as Jean, who suddenly discovers this huge yearning inside him. His depiction of a man who has a responsible and sensible lifestyle and who is suddenly on the verge of throwing it all away is meticulous. His words and dialogue may seem simple but are heartfelt.
Kiberlain, Lindon’s former wife in real life, is more of a cipher. She is the perfect portrait of a woman who has a past, a good reason for her short-term teaching jobs and for never settling down. Her attraction is both passionate and tearful.
What really gives the film its own stamp is that the production leaves its protagonists the space to do what they want and to develop their characters even more fully on screen. This adds layers to the romance that is filled with repression and oppression.
This interesting and emotion-filled minefield of a film will provide a discerning audience with more than suitable rewards.