«Normandie Nue»

Cinema Wednesdays - Alexandre Wälti

Strangely enough, as we left the Studio cinema in Neuchâtel, in the almost Norman rain, prickly and cold, the words of Belgian poet Emile Verhaeren lapped at our heads like a ray of poetic sunshine warming the sad gutter of the bus stop:

«I walk with the pride of loving the air and the earth».»

Essential, simple and direct, like the themes Philippe Le Guay tackles in Normandie Nue. This line from the poem One morning fits the film perfectly. It certainly echoes the love that the inhabitants of the village of Mêle-sur-Sarthe have for their land. The love that the director of the excellent comedy Women on the 6th floor - François Cluzet, playing the village mayor. Because yes! some of the farmers who appear on screen, like the Roguet family, are not actors, but proudly practice the world's oldest profession on a daily basis. Yes, there's a second one. The presence of real farmers among the actors is unprecedented.

Authenticity Captured in the Moment

The portrayal of tensions between farmers and the solidarity among neighbors might not have had the same impact if there had been only professionals behind and in front of the camera. The film would have lost those precious glances that, despite themselves and their pure love for the land, betray the weight of a sometimes desperate reality for farmers, caught between pesticides and suicides. Let’s just say that these two words are undoubtedly very closely linked in reality. Let’s add that the director has spent his vacations since childhood just three kilometers from the village he chose as the filming location. This proximity and his knowledge of the terrain are evident in his filming style, which remains physically close to both the people and the land. An intimate, open-air setting.

He weaves together and sets up the many encounters between his numerous characters, perhaps trying to do too much; the result is a succession of portraits that are sometimes rushed rather than two or three characters who would evoke a deeper sense of empathy in the viewer. What if the film had been longer? Philippe Le Guay opted for a rather short format. For the sake of the production, he spared no time and, in particular, spent four years researching to capture the situation of Normandy’s farmers as accurately as possible.

His feature film undoubtedly gains in authenticity thanks to this approach, yet loses none of its universality. He spent long hours with farmworkers to better understand what drives some of them to take their own lives. To take their own lives. Writing it twice in a row on the same line hardly seems enough to underscore the gravity and depth of this pain among farmers, even in Switzerland. Never forget that they feed us, while some of our consumer choices are slowly killing them.

A Mayor's Fight for a Just Cause

What is the film’s plot? A mayor who fights for his residents and, with the arrival of an internationally renowned photographer specializing in monumental nudes, lends greater weight to the demands of his constituents and, symbolically, of all farmers. He helps them let go of their inhibitions in a tasteful way. This encounter brings to light a whole chapter of the characters’ past that turns the village’s quiet life upside down. It also represents a clash between rural and urban mindsets. This clash is embodied by the young teenager Chloé, who narrates the story, and her city-dwelling family. It is the dairy plant rather than the village dairy, and the supermarket instead of the market.

What makes this project so clever? It tackles the subject of rural despair with a lightness that is at times side-splittingly funny—always humane, sometimes burlesque, and above all, tasteful; Take, for example, the delightful scenes where Mayor Balbuzard tries to convince the rather reluctant residents—notably through a comical montage that traces their origins back to their humanity—to pose naked on the controversial Champ Chollet. Here we see the full range of this French actor’s talent as he shifts from a confident, militant stance to stubborn anger, all while often bringing a smile to his listeners’ faces. A tender character, like those of the wonderful Jean Becker, and as forthright as those of the socially conscious Ken Loach.

Ultimately, the plot is simple and fits the comedy format perfectly. Philippe Le Guay manages to turn serious themes into genuine topics of discussion, thereby giving the farming community a much-needed voice. Although it’s fairly easy to guess how the conflicts in the story will resolve, Normandie Nue It has the merit of making the audience laugh with tenderness, leading them to a more personal reflection. That may be its most satisfying aspect. It’s a film that makes you want to love the air and the earth, to take pride in caring for them with humor, and—to conclude with another line from the same poem by Verhaeren—«to drink in the whole of space to swell my strength.».

Write to the author: alexandrewaelti@gmail.com

Photo credit: © allocine.fr