The Grocer's Son (French : Le Fils de l'épicier) is a 2007 French drama film about a family that runs a grocery business in Provence, France; the business includes a single truck that travels the countryside making deliveries to customers. The director, Éric Guirado, had previously made television documentaries about traveling grocers in rural France. The film, released in France as Le Fils de l'épicier, was first presented as part of the 2007 Namur Francophone Film Festival.[3] It was sufficiently successful that in 2008 subtitled versions were released internationally.
| The Grocer's Son | |
|---|---|
| French | Le Fils de l'épicier |
| Directed by | Éric Guirado |
| Screenplay by | Éric Guirado Florence Vignon |
| Produced by | Miléna Poylo Gilles Sacuto |
| Starring | Nicolas Cazalé Clotilde Hesme |
| Cinematography | Laurent Brunet |
| Edited by | Pierre Haberer |
| Music by | Christophe Boutin |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Les Films du Losange |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $1.5 million [1] |
| Box office | $5.1 million [2] |
Synopsis
editIt concerns Antoine (played by Nicolas Cazalé), who must leave Lyon to help his mother (Jeanne Goupil) who runs the family grocery store in a village in Southern France. His father (Daniel Duval), stricken with a heart attack, can no longer drive the grocery truck that supplies the isolated hamlets around the village. Antoine discovers the charm of these people, "bons vivants" (good living) ways and gradually comes to love his eccentric customers and finds the country of his childhood. He also discovers the joy of living and perhaps the joy of love with Claire (played by Clotilde Hesme).
The film uses the beautiful landscape of Mont Sainte-Victoire as a regular backdrop.[4]
Cast
edit- Nicolas Cazalé as Antoine Sforza (the Grocer's son).
- Clotilde Hesme as Claire.
- Daniel Duval as Antoine's father, the proprietor of Alimentation Générale (lit. Grocery).
- Jeanne Goupil as Antoine's mother and the proprietress.
- Stéphan Guérin-Tillié as François Sforza (Antoine's brother).
- Liliane Rovère as Lucienne (a customer).
- Paul Crachet as Le Père Clèment.
- Chad Chenouga as Hassan.
- Benoit Giros as Fernand.
- Ludmila Ruoso as Sophie.
Other credits
edit- Producers - Miléna Poyle and Gilles Sacuto
- Music - Christophe Boutin
- Production record—TS Production, Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, StudioCanal
- Location - Rosans, commune in Provence
Reception
editThe film received good reviews from several noted critics writing in English.[4][5][6] Roger Ebert wrote, "The summer unfolds slowly. Claire goes back to Paris. The father arrives from Paris. The countryside is calm and seductive. The mother soldiers on, keeping the store open late "to help people." And Antoine comes of age. That's all the film is, apart from having humor, warmth, kindness, insight and scenery. That's enough."[5]
Nicolas Cazale was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor (the French Academy Award) for his performance as the Grocer's son.
Home media
editThe Grocer's Son was released as a region 1 DVD in 2009 with English subtitles.[7][8] A region 2 DVD was also released in 2009.[9][10]
References
edit- ^ "Le Fils de l'épicier (The Grocer\'s Son) (2007) - JPBox-Office".
- ^ "The Grocer's Son (2008) - Box Office Mojo". Archived from the original on 2015-10-29. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
- ^ "Review: Le fils de l'épicier (The Grocer's Son)". Archived from the original on 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ a b French, Philip (April 25, 2009). "The Grocer's Son". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (August 26, 2008). "The Grocer's Son". Ebert's statement that the city of the film is Paris is likely incorrect; the city where Antoine and Claire are living at the film's start is Lyon.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (June 6, 2008). "Fresh Produce for Ratatouille, Please, but No Attitude". The New York Times.
... a small gem of a film.
- ^ The Grocer's Son (DVD (region 1)). Film Movement. January 6, 2009. OCLC 660165238.
- ^ Johans, Jen (January 7, 2009). "Film Movement DVD Review: The Grocer's Son". Film Intuition.
... a stunning DVD transfer that's enhanced for widescreen televisions with its 16x9 display and complete with Film Movement's collectible packaging containing a personal note as to their reasons for its selection in their prestigious DVD-of-the-Month series as well as excerpts from an interview with the director. Additionally, the Region 1 DVD also boasts a compelling and incredibly timely short film from American director Eric Escobar.
- ^ The Grocer's Son (DVD (region 2)). ICA. 2009. OCLC 449244651.
- ^ Megahey, Noel (2009). "The Grocer's Son". The Digital Fix.
The film is presented anamorphically at 1.85:1 and, considering the film was shot it on 16mm, it looks great here. Not ultra-clear and sharp evidently, but fine nonetheless, with reasonable shadow detail, good colours and a stable transfer. The DD 2.0 audio is clear and has a good depth of tone, particularly on the music score. English subtitles are even optional.