''When the Sea Rises'' (french: Quand la mer monte...) is a 2004 French-Belgian romantic comedy film directed by Yolande Moreau and

Gilles Porte Gilles Porte (born 11 May 1965) is a director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and assistant cameraman. He is a member of société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques (SACD), of société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique (SA ...

. It was Moreau's directorial debut.

Plot

Irène is an actress who performs her one-person show all over northern France. One day she is heading for a new town when her car breaks down. On the countryside she is picked up by a travelling stranger who rides a Scooter. He introduces himself as Dries and gives her a lift. She rewards him with a ticket for her show. When he arrives there she involves him in her performance. The next evening he returns and feels he must protect her against perturbators in the audience. She doesn't appreciate the way he tries to take care of this matter. They have a considerable dispute which eventually ends in a reconciliation. This marks the beginning of a love affair.

Cast

* Yolande Moreau as Irène * Wim Willaert as Dries * Olivier Gourmet as The cop * Jackie Berroyer as Béthune * Philippe Duquesne as Café's owner * Jacques Bonnaffé as The server * Séverine Caneele as The maid *

Bouli Lanners Philippe "Bouli" Lanners (born 20 May 1965) is a Belgian actor, author and film director. His film '' The Giants'' was nominated for twelve Magritte Awards, winning five, including Best Film and Best Director. Biography Lanners was born on 20 ...

as The market's owner * Jan Hammenecker as Jan * Vincent Mahieu as Yves * Nand Buyl as Dries's father * Emmy Leemans as Dries's mother * Jean-François Picotin as Fifi *

François Morel François Morel (14 March 1926 – 14 January 2018) was a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1994 and was awarded t ...

as TV Host

Critical reception

The film received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 90% of 20 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 6.5 out of 10. Metacritic gave the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on eight critics.

Background

The film title is an

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to the French folk singer Raoul de Godewaersvelde whose song "Quand la mer monte" is a re-occurring theme throughout the film.

Awards

* César Award for Best Debut (Yolande Moreau and Gilles Porte) * César Award for Best Actress (Yolande Moreau) * Louis Delluc Prize for Best First Film

References

External links

* * * * 2004 films 2004 romantic comedy films French romantic comedy films Films about actors César Award winners Films set in France Louis Delluc Prize winners Best First Feature Film César Award winners 2004 directorial debut films Films featuring a Best Actress César Award-winning performance 2000s French-language films 2000s French films {{2000s-France-film-stub