If you’re a fan of “Breaking Bad”, French cinema, or just comedy in general, you will truly devour “Paulette”.
“Paulette” is a 2012 French film by Jérôme Enrico that was shown as a part of the Film Feast Cinema Series of the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival. I saw it Sunday Oct. 5 with a very packed, lively crowd at The Downer Theatre.
The film details an old woman, Paulette (Bernadette Lafont), and her decision to start selling drugs to help make ends meet. She’s hateful, pessimistic, and downright racist, which makes her relationship with her black step son (Jean-Baptiste Anoumon) and her mixed-race grandson (Ismaël Dramé) tense, but amusing to watch. Paulette once owned a successful bakery, and after the death of her beloved husband, she looked for his advice and approval in everything she does – including baking and selling delicious, cannabis-infused pastries for big boss Monsieur Vito (Paco Blublard). Through getting deeper into the business, Paulette’s bitterness begins to die, and she learns how to love again.
From the very first line delivered by Lafont, I immediately fell in love with her character, and so did the audience. Laughter never died, because her performance was consistently hilarious and touching. Her character is difficult to connect with in terms of the racism and constant hatred of life, but the audience is able to detach from the story line as well. There’s no real way to connect with Paulette’s situation.
Regrettably, “Paulette” is often skin deep and superficial. The story line is predictable and doesn’t have any major twists that give it any spin or depth. It is purely crowd-pleasing, but it does a fantastic job at it. I’ve haven’t seen many films like “Paulette” come out of French cinema.
Although Paulette is no longer being shown at this years Milwaukee Film Festival, it is available on DVD and Blu-ray. I recommend seeing “Paulette” with a crowd or a group of friends, if you can. Experiencing everyone’s reactions to the subtitles is priceless. Cook a delicious French dinner or assortment of pastries to go with the film as well!