I first stumbled across this film on late night TV a few years ago, and so was happy to see it on SBS demand recently.
Set in a picturesque harbour-side town in France, the scenery was enough to grab my attention. Add to that mouth-watering scenes of French cuisine, and I was happily entertained for the duration.
Basically it is a nice movie. The summary online refers to it as 'crime', but really it is quite a novel re-interpretation of Beauty and the Beast.
I felt that the attitude towards food was uniquely French too. While gorging on food, filling an emotional need, made the reclusive police detective the 'beast', his healing did not involve salad, rice thins and deprivation (although his drawer of Mars bars gave way to a draw of mineral water). Stuffed Zucchini was still on the menu; he just ate less frequently, and always with a companion.
I felt that the attitude towards food was uniquely French too. While gorging on food, filling an emotional need, made the reclusive police detective the 'beast', his healing did not involve salad, rice thins and deprivation (although his drawer of Mars bars gave way to a draw of mineral water). Stuffed Zucchini was still on the menu; he just ate less frequently, and always with a companion.
I found the detective quite likeable as well. He was brusque, but seemingly well liked and respected by his colleagues. He was someone you could root for; you were genuinely pleased when he started to get his life in shape.
All in all, I enjoyed this film, and would recommend it to anyone who likes French film, has a spare couple of hours, and is kind of curious about what a Twenty First Century Beauty and the Beast might look like.
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