Written and directed
by Mélanie Auffret
Coming to 2020
Alliance French Film Festival
12 March to 8 April
Palace Cinemas
Previewed by Len
Power 19 February 2020
Writer/director Mélanie Auffret’s movie ‘Roxane’ tells the
story of a Brittany chicken farmer, Raymond Leroux, who likes to read excerpts
from Rostand’s play, ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’, to his flock with his gorgeous pet
hen, Roxane, by his side. When the
all-controlling egg co-op cancels the contracts with the small chicken farmers
of the district, Raymond enlists Roxane’s help with a scheme using social media
to solve their predicament.
We’ve seen ‘little guy against the big guys’ stories before,
of course, but it’s the quirky nature of this one that makes it a real
winner. Roxane in ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’
was the hero’s love interest and so it’s no surprise that in the movie, the
hero’s much-loved companion is a hen named Roxane.
The characters of this farming community are finely drawn
and well-played by the cast members.
Their eccentricities are real and not caricatured. Guillaume de Tonquédec as Raymond Leroux wins
us over with the warmth and genuineness of his character. His love for Roxane and his other chooks
makes him irresistible.
There are excellent comedy performances from Léa Drucker as
Raymond’s wife, Anne-Marie, Lionel Abelanski as a farming neighbour, Poupou,
and Kate Duchêne as Wendy, an initially critical Englishwoman and literature
professor who is won over to help with Raymond’s unusual scheme.
Mélanie Auffret directs the movie at a deliberate pace with
under-stated performances, keeping it all on a believable level. The slightly supernatural responses from the
hens and especially, Roxane, are very funny.
There is some computer-generated imagery involving the birds but it’s
mostly achieved through clever editing and sound.
The film is reminiscent of those great Ealing comedies of
the 1950s such as ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’ and ‘Passport To Pimlico’ – gentle
satirical comedies involving recognizably human characters and situations.
‘Roxane’ is a delight from start to finish. You’ll want to have a pet like Roxane by the
time it’s over, too.
‘Roxane’ will be showing in the 2020 Alliance Francais French
Film Festival at the Palace Cinemas from 12 March to 8 April.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on the Artsound FM 92.7 ‘In the Foyer’ program on Mondays
and Wednesdays at 3.30pm.
‘Theatre of Power’, a
regular podcast on Canberra’s performing arts scene with Len Power, can be
heard on Spotify, ITunes and other selected platforms or at https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/theatre-of-power.