''In Harmony'' () is a 2015 French
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
written and directed by
Denis Dercourt
Denis Dercourt (born 1 October 1964) is a French film director and screenwriter.
Denis Dercourt's grandfather directed documentaries; his father was a film producer and his brother is also a film producer. From 1988 to 1993, Dercourt studied phi ...
, adapted from the book ''Sur mes quatre jambes'' by Bernard Sachsé and Véronique Pellerin. The film stars
Albert Dupontel
Albert Dupontel (; born 11 January 1964) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Following his father's path, he studied medicine but eventually switched to theater, disillusioned by hospital life. He started his career as a stand-up ...
and
Cécile De France
Cécile or Cecile is a female given name or surname.
People Given name
* Ce'cile (Cecile Charlton, born 1976), Jamaican musician
* Severin Cecile Abega (1955–2008), Cameroonian author
* Cécile Aubry (1928–2010), retired French film actres ...
.
Plot
Marc Guermont is a horse trainer and stuntman in the Loire region of France. During a film production, an unrestrained dog scares his horse, which throws him and breaks his back, rendering him a wheelchair-using paraplegic. Florence Kernel, an insurance loss adjuster, visits him at his rambling property and stables, where he lives alone, aided by Antoine. She tries to convince him to sign documents to obtain a €300,000 payout. He refuses, sensing his claim could be worth much more. He is correct: the loss adjusters receive a video of the accident and know he could win in a court case.
On a second visit, he scares and exhilarates her driving his specially adapted truck. The ethics of Florence's employer are called into question when her boss asks her to get his signature as soon as possible, using any approach. She returns, casually dressed and tries to befriend Marc, offering him a CD of music he had playing on the last visit. She reveals she was once a pianist, but quit after failing a crucial exam. He convinces her to ride his horse - initially terrified, she soon loves the experience.
Home with her husband and two children, she begins to experience doubts about her life and relationship, thinking fondly of Marc. Marc meanwhile tries to mount his horse using a knotted rope and upper body strength, but panics and is knocked unconscious and taken to hospital. In a dream scene, he is seen stunt-riding a white horse along a beach. He makes a recovery and mounts his horse again, with more success and an adapted saddle.
Later, Marc buys and ATV from a dealership where the salesman mentions he is Florence's husband.
Eventually relieved of handling Marc's insurance case by her boss, Florence pities Marc, while developing feelings for him and illegally passes him the business card of a friend, a top lawyer, who could help him. The lawyer puts Marc on course to receive a large insurance payout, but wants taped evidence of his conversations with the insurance company to strengthen her case. Marc invites Florence on a date unsuccessfully, also asking if she has taped their conversations. She eventually tries to pass him a voice-recording where she is heard to pressure him into accepting the inferior insurance deal. Marc refuses to accept it, knowing she will be fired if it is heard in court. Florence, plagued with guilt and attracted to Marc, wakes up before dusk and enters Marc's house, leaving the voice recorder. Drawn to Marc sleeping, she approaches him. He reaches for her and they kiss and (off camera) have sex, unconstrained by his paralysis. They also spend the morning together in a speedboat and by a lake in the Loire region. They are not shown together after this.
Florence eventually mails the recorder directly to the lawyer, who uses it to (off camera) help secure Marc's compensation claim in court. Florence is fired for her actions, rekindles her love of classical piano (including taking an exam) and takes a job in the local public library. She is in her house with her daughter when the TV shows Marc competing in a dressage event, confident on his horse, Othello. Florence weeps openly. Marc is seen driving home from the competition with a horsebox. Cut to ending, leaving the question of their relationship unresolved.
Cast
*
Albert Dupontel
Albert Dupontel (; born 11 January 1964) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Following his father's path, he studied medicine but eventually switched to theater, disillusioned by hospital life. He started his career as a stand-up ...
as Marc Guermont
*
Cécile de France
Cécile or Cecile is a female given name or surname.
People Given name
* Ce'cile (Cecile Charlton, born 1976), Jamaican musician
* Severin Cecile Abega (1955–2008), Cameroonian author
* Cécile Aubry (1928–2010), retired French film actres ...
as Florence Kernel
* Patrick Mille as Julien Kernel
*
Marie Bäumer
Henrike Marie Bäumer (; born 7 May 1969) is a German actress. She won two Bavarian Film Awards for her performances in ''Angst (2003 film), Angst'' (2003) and ''3 Days in Quiberon'' (2018). For her portrayal of Romy Schneider in the latter, sh ...
as Alexandra
*
Carole Franck
Carole Franck is a French actress.
Filmography
Dubbing
Theatre
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franck, Carole
Living people
French film actresses
French television actresses
Actresses from Paris
20th-century Fre ...
as The Counsel
*
Laure Calamy as Séverine
*
Alexis Loret as Séverine's husband
*
Joseph Malerba
Joseph Malerba (born 5 October 1962) is a French actor known for his role as police detective Walter Morlighem in the French TV series ''Braquo
''Braquo'' is a French crime drama television series created by Olivier Marchal. It was produced ...
as Victor
* Vincent Furic as Nicolas
* Mélanie Malhère as Mélanie
* Antonin Gabrielli as Antoine
*
Bruno Monsaingeon as The piano teacher
Reception
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 5 reviews with an average rating of 7/10.
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' awarded it three stars, saying "...this is about as bourgeois and Gallic as a film can be without actually dressing the characters in Breton shirts and draping ropes of onions around their necks, but the actors are undeniably magnetic, the stunt work is duly impressive and it all trots along at manageable pace. Plus, there's some great equine acting on hand from Othello, the supporting stallion, a chestnut beauty with eyes almost as soulful as Dupontel's own."
See also
*
List of films about horses
Movies about horses constitute a popular film genre. Some examples include:
0–9
* ''8 Seconds'' (1994)
* ''50 to 1'' (2014)
A
* ''Above the Limit'' (1900)
* ''Aces of the Turf'' (1932)
* ''A Day at the Races (film), A Day at the Races'' (193 ...
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 4228816
2015 films
2015 drama films
2010s French-language films
French drama films
StudioCanal films
Films directed by Denis Dercourt
Films about horses
Films based on non-fiction books
Films about people with paraplegia or tetraplegia
2010s French films
Films about disability in France