Conversations With My Gardener

With it's luminous rural setting, emphasis on male friendship and concentration on the good things in life, this all feels very French. Most of the film is indeed a series of conversations, not simply with the gardener of the title, but usually just between 2 characters. However, it never feels dull or stagey, partly because of the terrific acting (Daniel Auteuil is as wonderful as ever) The lack of plot isn't a problem either, with the emphasis on character. A childhood friendship is resurrected despite huge differences in class and life experience, and as the replanted kitchen garden flourishes, so does this relationship. The painter gradually becomes a more caring, considerate person (as is usually the case when city folk visit the country) This could be appallingly sentimental but the emphasis on the gardener's working class roots and his experiences working for the railway keep it grounded in the real world. Then there's the inherent sadness of the second half as it becomes clear the gardener is gravely ill, but even this can't keep him away from his beloved garden. Whereas the middle class painter was able to follow his dream rather than go into the family business (unlike his own father), the gardener never had that option. He joined the railway, which ultimately provided friendship and love (he met his wife at a work dance) although it might also be the source of his illness. The painter eventually paints the things that fill his friend's life with happiness, producing a noticeably more direct, vivid art. A cliche perhaps but a touching end to a thoroughly enjoyable film.