The premise of this story is preposterous: long ago, midwife Claire's father had a mistress named Beatrice (Deneuve),and he killed himself when she left him. After many years, Beatrice gets in touch with Claire (Frot),who is obviously none too pleased.

Covering the unlikely relationship of these two women would make the movie interesting enough, but the plot twist is that Beatrice is terminally ill and Claire is the only one who can take care of her. In a role reversing her profession, Claire should ease Beatrice' s itinerary towards death.

The first problem is that Deneuve does not look like a terminally ill woman. She looks very good, but that is not what her part calls for. Then, her character is extroverted, warm and much more charming than Frot's, which makes it difficult to sympathise with the wronged woman. Also, the chronology is weird: Claire's father was a champion swimmer and he is seen in old pictures sporting 70s hairdo and swimming trunks. However, Frot is from 1956 and looking her age, which would make her father (at least) in his late thirties in the 70s. Swimmers are at their peak in their twenties...

Unless the characters are supposed to be younger than their real age, but then why not hire younger actors?

Finally, some of the dialogue is cringe worthy: would a father really discuss a mistress'kissing technique with his daughter?

I tried to put myself in Claire's shoes, but even with the added layer of sleaze that seems to permeate French culture, I could not imagine my father sharing intimate details of a failed relationship (nor I would have wanted him to). I also tried Beatrice's shoes and I absolutely cannot imagine myself approaching an ex-lover's daughter, because I am ill and I want to make amends before I go. Not even if that particular lover of long ago was the only "true love" of a very turbulent life.

So far this film has attracted a mere three reviews here one of which is clearly the work of a Philistine. The movie stars two of the heaviest hitters in current French cinema and the only way to distinguish between them is to note that Ms Deneuve has been giving world-class performances just a tad longer than Ms Frot (nee 1956). With titans like this it is necessary only to let them read alternate pages of Le Figaro and the price of admission is money well spent. As it happens the plot is more than serviceable and director Provost throws in some tasty camera angles and the odd exquisite scene like Frot cycling home from a night shift through a Paris greeting a new dawn. A minor gem but a gem all the same.

Another recent French film that I felt was just OK.

It was not bad, but it's nothing to brag about. Everything is pretty mediocre.

Sure, it's a lovey and interesting story about Midwife who is contacted by her father's mistress 30 years after the relationship because she going through cancer and wanted to see her and her father again, but as it turns out the father is dead leaving the midwife to be the only thing close to a family the mistress has, and most of the movie is about if the midwife feels the same way.

it was mostly drama with a few funny moments but nothing really made me laugh or cry, it was all too bland in the delivery.

I'm still waiting for the french to come out with something like the Intouchables again.

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