Normandy now (2018)

Directed by: Philippe Le Guay | 109 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: François Cluzet, François-Xavier Demaison, Julie-Anne Roth, Pili Groyne, Toby Jones, Vincent Regan, Colin Bates, Arthur Dupont, Daphné Dumons, Lucrèce Carmignac, Philippe Rebbot, Patrick d’Assumçao, Samuel Churin, Grégory Gadebois, Lucie Muratet, Delphine Zingg, Brigitte Chamarande, Marie-Christine Orry

The water is on the lips of the Normandy dairy and cattle farmers. Their annual incomes have fallen to a minimum and supermarkets are completely squeezing the farmers out. They also succumb to the high taxes imposed on them by the French Empire. It’s time to act, say the agricultural inhabitants of the village of Mêle-sur-Sarthe, just above Le Mans.

Popular mayor Georges Balbuzard cares deeply about the fate of his citizens, puts in a good word with creditors and stands proudly on the barricade with them as farmers create a “road-block” to draw media attention to the appalling circumstances. The road is blocked with cows and bales of hay and the American autonomous photographer Newman stands in line with irritated motorists. While waiting between the meadows, he suddenly sees the perfect backdrop for his next nude shoot; a rolling green field with a proud tree.

When the driven Balbuzard strikes up a conversation with Newman, creative ideas begin to emerge. Instead of taking action with a heavy hand, the approach becomes one in all its simplicity; all affected farmers naked in the pasture as a protest to be stripped even further by suppliers and the government. It doesn’t get more visual than that and partly due to Newman’s fame, this photo will have a major impact in the media. It is logical to see whether the prudish farmers and peasant women also warm up to pose among the dandelions in their -not in ideal condition- birth costume. Balbuzard knows what to do.

When you see François Cluzet’s name on the movie poster, you probably immediately make the link with blockbuster ‘Intouchables’. And rightly so, because in it the Paris-born actor plays a starring role of the paralyzed millionaire and the moving film was embraced worldwide. It will therefore not be the fault of Cluzet that ‘Normandie nue’ is not so well received. The story starts strong and you empathize with the farmers. But halfway through the film the drama genre suddenly turns 180 degrees to simple comedy and the lame jokes are on the table. It is also worth making a comparison with ‘Calendar Girls’ and ‘The Full Monty’. So what else this production adds to that genre can be disputed.

The usually good acting of British Toby Jones (‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’) is also becoming less credible by the minute. As well as his French. He throws out correct sentences in one scene, after which he has great difficulty with simple words like left and right. Something which is quite strange, because Jones knows how to carry a lot of roles well. He has also earned his stripes as a voice actor for the voice of Dobby in Harry Potter.

But this French film feels unnecessarily theatrical and mediocre acting predominates. The naked truth: Director Philippe Le Guay (‘Les femmes du 6e étage’) unfortunately failed to maintain the strong first act and deliver a must-see for cinematic Francophiles.