Rue du Retrait

(France)

By LISA NESSELSON

A Cinema Public Films release of a Les Films du XXeme/JML Prods. production. Produced by Rene Feret.
Directed, written by Rene Feret, based on "The Diary of a Good Neighbour" by Doris Lessing.
 
With: Dominique Marcas, Marion Held.
 

The ambiguous friendship between a businesswoman in her 40s and a 90-year-old lady is portrayed with subtlety and grace in "Rue du Retrait." Deceptively simple yet extremely rich in its themes and insights, ultra-low-budget two-hander is a compelling portrait of old age and a deft exploration of how neighbors can seemingly dwell in different eras. Fests would be an ideal avenue for this one.

One day in a pharmacy, proud, ornery Mado (Dominique Marcas, superb) accosts self-sufficient divorcee Isabelle (Marion Held). Accompanying the crotchety old woman to her home, Isabelle discovers she's living in a decrepit cold-water studio without a tub, toilet or phone. Isabelle finds herself both repulsed by and drawn to what she's seen. Little favors turn into regular visits, during which Mado is as likely to be gruff as appreciative. The composite result is quietly magnificent. When traditional funding proved elusive, vet producer-director Rene Feret opted for self-financed DV. Intimate lensing captures the raw, convincing interplay between the leads, and video origins are fully apparent only in certain exteriors. Title is the name of a street in eastern Paris, where pic was shot.

Camera (color, DV-to-35mm), Francois Lartigue; editor, Fabienne Camara; music, Benjamin Raffaelli; art director, Carlos Conti; sound, Christine Charpail. Reviewed at Espace Saint-Michel, Paris, April 28, 2001. Running time: 89 MIN.