January 19, 2024
FILM: DRIVING MADELINE
DIRECTED BY: CHRISTIAN CARION
STARRING: LINE RENAUD, DANY BOON, ALICE ISAAZ
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
In Driving Madeline, a taxi driver gives a ride to a 92-year old woman who is on her way to live in a nursing home. The driver, Charles, is initially reluctant until he is told that they will be driving through much of Paris and therefore earning a pretty penny for the long journey. Charles is hardened, a bit cold, and not particularly interested in talking to Madeline but as she begins discussing her life, Charles softens as she endears herself quickly to him.
If this sounds like a version of the Oscar-winning Driving Miss Daisy from 1989 well it’s actually pretty far from that. Madeline is far from the cold character played by Jessica Tandy in that film. Nor is this a story about the racial divide coming together. Madeline is at a point of reckoning as she nears the end of her life and is thus feeling pretty nostalgic. She begins revealing a lot about herself to Charles. It seems that she met an American during World War II and although they only had three months together, he became the lost love of her life. Instead she married another man who was physically abusive leading to a rather ghastly crime. I won’t spoil that detail, and I don’t want to suggest this is some sort of horror story, but this period in Madeline’s life is pretty dark and takes a good chunk of the ride to tell.
What makes the film effective is that writer/director Christian Carion doesn’t keep us inside the taxi listening to these stories for long stretches of time. Instead he opens up the experience through a series of flashbacks in which we see a young Madeline during her young life. Initially these scenes are tinged with romanticism and filled with period music such as Etta James’s classic, At Last. However, the darker direction of the narrative changes the mood considerably and perhaps a bit less satisfying than the film could be.
Charles also stops a few times during the journey and lets her show him places she lived. Their bond becomes so strong that they even share a fancy dinner together. So, the ultimate feeling we’re left with is warmth for the relationship that develops between Madeline and Charles, which is truly special and life changing for both of them. Both characters needed this day together and Carion does a great job of establishing their growing connection.
The actors are both exceptional. Line Renaud has been acting in films since the 1940s and clearly knows how to powerfully tell Madeline’s stories. Dany Boon is equally effective as Charles and nicely inhabits the emotional arc of the character.
I’d have liked to hear more about Madeline’s life beyond these early years though. Her last sixty years are barely mentioned leaving a whole in the character’s story. It’s also not entirely clear what is lacking from Charles’s life that would get him so emotionally attached to Madeline. Has he been missing some maternal nurturing? His relationship with his wife is also underwritten leaving questions about his private life.
Still, there is no doubt the film will have some viewers in tears. The final scenes pack an emotional wallop. Be sure to watch as credits role for a truly special final scene.
Driving Madeline opens this week in limited release including the Landmark Theater in Chicago.
FILM: DRIVING MADELINE
DIRECTED BY: CHRISTIAN CARION
STARRING: LINE RENAUD, DANY BOON, ALICE ISAAZ
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
In Driving Madeline, a taxi driver gives a ride to a 92-year old woman who is on her way to live in a nursing home. The driver, Charles, is initially reluctant until he is told that they will be driving through much of Paris and therefore earning a pretty penny for the long journey. Charles is hardened, a bit cold, and not particularly interested in talking to Madeline but as she begins discussing her life, Charles softens as she endears herself quickly to him.
If this sounds like a version of the Oscar-winning Driving Miss Daisy from 1989 well it’s actually pretty far from that. Madeline is far from the cold character played by Jessica Tandy in that film. Nor is this a story about the racial divide coming together. Madeline is at a point of reckoning as she nears the end of her life and is thus feeling pretty nostalgic. She begins revealing a lot about herself to Charles. It seems that she met an American during World War II and although they only had three months together, he became the lost love of her life. Instead she married another man who was physically abusive leading to a rather ghastly crime. I won’t spoil that detail, and I don’t want to suggest this is some sort of horror story, but this period in Madeline’s life is pretty dark and takes a good chunk of the ride to tell.
What makes the film effective is that writer/director Christian Carion doesn’t keep us inside the taxi listening to these stories for long stretches of time. Instead he opens up the experience through a series of flashbacks in which we see a young Madeline during her young life. Initially these scenes are tinged with romanticism and filled with period music such as Etta James’s classic, At Last. However, the darker direction of the narrative changes the mood considerably and perhaps a bit less satisfying than the film could be.
Charles also stops a few times during the journey and lets her show him places she lived. Their bond becomes so strong that they even share a fancy dinner together. So, the ultimate feeling we’re left with is warmth for the relationship that develops between Madeline and Charles, which is truly special and life changing for both of them. Both characters needed this day together and Carion does a great job of establishing their growing connection.
The actors are both exceptional. Line Renaud has been acting in films since the 1940s and clearly knows how to powerfully tell Madeline’s stories. Dany Boon is equally effective as Charles and nicely inhabits the emotional arc of the character.
I’d have liked to hear more about Madeline’s life beyond these early years though. Her last sixty years are barely mentioned leaving a whole in the character’s story. It’s also not entirely clear what is lacking from Charles’s life that would get him so emotionally attached to Madeline. Has he been missing some maternal nurturing? His relationship with his wife is also underwritten leaving questions about his private life.
Still, there is no doubt the film will have some viewers in tears. The final scenes pack an emotional wallop. Be sure to watch as credits role for a truly special final scene.
Driving Madeline opens this week in limited release including the Landmark Theater in Chicago.