conversations with my gardener

dialogue avec mon jardinière
sounds so much more appealing in it's original language
somehow i doubt i would be that interested in a film
e.g. set in england featuring 2 ageing men and a garden
but the french factor weighs in big time on the curiousity scale
it would be easy to describe the film as a classic french love story
beautifully contained in the love and respect between 2 men
without a hint of anything more than that
it begins as one man a painter returns from paris
to tend to his deceased mother's property not far from the city
and employs a gardener to help restore the badly neglected garden
they quickly recognise each other as old school chums
and their friendship is restored and allowed to mature
in parallel with the re-establishment and flourishing of the garden
the gardener (as he is known in the film) has lived his whole life in the area
and so can fill in some gaps for the painter (the dauber in the film)
they then proceed quite gently teaching each other a thing or 2 about life
with the simple wisdom of the gardener constantly astounding the painter
which is why his return to country life is so fulfilling for him
and presumably why he so enjoys the company of his friend
there's various scenes back in paris providing another contrast in the film
but it's the look and feel of the country where we are most comfortable
there is a real subtlety in the way we also become students of art
alongside the appreciation of the art of gardening
there's also the love of wine and women
and quite a few laughs simply in the joy of life
music is very gently and cleverly in the mix as well
with a powerful use of mozart in the film's sad conclusion
i doubt if there was a dry eye in the house (all 3 of us)
after which the final scene is one of redemption
even though maybe a little too contrived
another classic french film i would say