theatrical releases
“It’s the little things”: Comedy with Michel Blanc
Michel Blanc in a scene from the film “It’s the little things. Photo
© Stephanie Branchu/Happy Entertainment/dpa
“It’s the little things” is about a village in Brittany and its residents. A comedy that deals with current topics.
Alice is a teacher and at the same time mayor in a small village of 400 people Brittany. Basically, the young woman is a girl for everything. She fills in potholes, is asked for medical diagnoses and advice on marital problems. When 65-year-old, grumpy villager Emile shows up in her elementary school class to learn to read and write, her nerves are put to the test.
“It’s the little things” (originally “Les petites victoires”) is a feel-good movie with a lot of empathy and without kitsch. Director Mélanie Auffret embeds social themes such as the slow death of villages and illiteracy in a charming and entertaining comedy. In France, the film attracted almost a million viewers. Auffret tackles serious topics that are rather unusual for cinema without pointing fingers.
The 32-year-old director has cast the leading roles with the popular French actor Michel Blanc (“You are a beautiful man”) and Julia Piaton. Both became known through comedies. Blanc has slipped into the role of the gruff Emile, Piaton (“Monsieur Claude and his daughters”) into that of the always helpful and self-sacrificing Alice.
Auffret plays aptly with the contrasts in character and the generational difference between the two main characters. Likewise with the age difference between Emile and the students. The 65-year-old smokes cigarettes during break, swears and swears, and has difficulty fitting in with the class rules.
The first to fourth graders view him with suspicion. But unexpected friendships and an unexpected solidarity soon arise. When the school is threatened with closure due to too few students, Emile has a plan.
It is the director’s second feature film. It is set in Brittany, her home region – just like “Roxane”, which tells the story of an egg producer who recites passages from the classic “Cyrano de Bergerac” to his chickens.