The Midwife

You'll read the title card "A film by..." on many American movies - usually movies that were adapted from another source, had a half-dozen different script writers and a team of above-the-line artists. But the French, who popularized the idea of a film being the artistic brainchild of one person, truly make a collaborative art form look like it came from one author's mind.

C�sar Award-winning director Martin Provost ("Violette") and his film "The Midwife" ("Sage femme") are such a filmmaker and such a film. This Official Selection of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival is a personal movie that reads like a novel, an intimate narrative that is more about literary technique than plotting. And it features some of the most compelling performers in French cinema.

Catherine Frot plays Claire, a hard-working, clean-living midwife at a humble Parisian clinic. She could make a better living, and she could get more sleep in a different occupation. But her career is a calling. She brings life into the world, and she saves lives that need a little extra push to survive. Her life has few indulgences, but she is quite content living her industrious routine until an old acquaintance calls on her asking for some help.

An ex-lover of Claire's father needs a friend. B�atrice (Catherine Deneuve) suffers from a brain tumor and must undergo a precarious operation. The polar opposite of Claire, B�atrice smokes, drinks and eats to such excess it gives even a French person pause. Furthermore, she makes her living as a gambler. Not only does B�atrice' lifestyle counter Claire's judgment, but their relationship is also fraught with old wounds. Still, this ne'er do well may be the best medicine for the tightly-wound midwife.

The magic of this movie is in its moments - an uncomfortable kiss, a grateful exchange with a new mother, a close up of a newly born infant. It's a series of details that don't advance the plot but structure the whole.

In addition to marvelous performances by the leads, look for Olivier Gourmet as a sage truck driver who attempts to unwind Claire's uptight heart.

This DVD comes with some interesting bonus material as well, including an interview with Provost and a Berlinale Press Conference with the director and his two leading actresses.

"The Midwife" ("Sage femme")
DVD
$19.98
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