one of the simplest movies, I have ever watched with deep meaning. It shows why your life can be meaningful, even though you lose faith on family, even though you hate each moment of it. The above summary i wrote, the first part is from the movie, second part i made it up with my learning from the movie. It shows that learning has no age, one just need a little motivation, a little hope. It also shows the love that often do not come on surface for the people we care the most. Germain thought his mother hated him, but in reality it was opposite. It also taught me sometimes again. Why I say again?? As my college professor used to say,"Most of us know everything, just that we can't remember all the things we see or learn. So, we often require someone to remind us those." the teaching that I got again: True love and lovers will always find a way, to connect, to share and to care.

Depardieu plays with great dignity an almost illiterate guy who meets a ninety year old woman who shows him the marvellous world of (french) literature. As he delves more into the labyrinth of verbs his overall behaviour changes and he starts to see the world with different eyes. The movie gives you an answer, what novels and plays may be good for and how deep that world goes. The cast is great and there's good vibe between Gérard Depardieu and Gisèle Casadeus. The narrative also explains step by step the world and the society of the protagonist, all with a lot or irony and french "humeur". As someone who studied literature I loved the movie for its tenderness, its love for books and the explanations of how novels may work and affect someone. 8/10

Greetings again from the darkness. It's nice to see a sweet, lovely little movie get made and distributed. The only characters are people we immediately recognize and feel like we know ... or wish we did. Based on a novel by Marie-Sabine Roger, it's directed by Jean Becker who clearly loves the characters, dialogue and message.Gerard Depardieu stars as Germain, a giant hulking mass of man who is both likable and a bit of a target for barbs by his buddies at the café where they all hang out. Germain is the kind of guy who tends a garden of home grown veggies, and finishes his handyman work when the job is done ... even if it means he gets cheated out of a few dollars.One day Germain meets Margueritte. Seems they both like to feed the pigeons from the same park bench. The two of them fall in love. OK, it's not quite that simple. Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus) is 95 years old and lives at a retirement center nearby. Her world consists mostly of reading books and counting pigeons. That is, until she meets Germain. Her wise, but failing eyes, recognize a wounded man. A man with a giant and kind heart. And mostly a man who is a wonderful listener. See, Margueritte READS aloud to Germain, who was mistreated as a child by his mother and teacher, and never developed any self-esteem or refined social skills. Margueritte helps him overcome through the words she reads ... and the stories he visualizes.This simple story shows what an impact we can have on others by listening, or through a simple act of kindness. Margueritte's efforts open up the world for Germain, while his willingness to listen and care give her hope for another day. There are side stories involving Germain's mother (Claire Maurier), whom he still cares for, Germain's younger girlfriend Annette (Sophie Guillemin), and the circle of friends at the café/pub. These are all French people and full of life and emotion and judgment and caring.Despite the shaky ending, this movie made me smile and had me hoping to spend an afternoon on the park bench with Margueritte and Germain ... reading The Plague by Albert Camus. Now that's a movie first!

Germain, the heavyset man living in a provincial town, has always been an awkward person. Not too versed in social graces, he appears to be a happy man with what nature gave him. Germain, in spite of the impression he gives to others, has always been taken for granted, even by his mother, a lady that showed no special interest in Germain as a small boy, until a lover dared to be mean to him, then she became a tigress.As the story unfolds, Germain is a man that in addition to his vegetable garden, works at odd jobs to make a living. People love to take advantage of him because they perceive him as not all there. Germain is most happy at the park where he goes regularly to check on his nineteen pigeon. He has names for all of them. One day, he sits next to an older lady who comes to spend time at the park. Margueritte loves to read. She is currently reading "The Plague" by Albert Camus. When she cites a passage she likes, Germain listens with such attention, he is almost reliving what the older woman is saying.Germain lives in a trailer that is situated in the garden of the house he used to share with his mother. Now an older woman, she shows symptoms of dementia. In flashbacks we get to see their relationship, never an easy one, as well as Germain's days in school where he was tormented by a teacher who did not how to reach the young boy. Ridiculing Germain made him the butt of all jokes from his class mates. Now, as a grown man, he has a love interest in Francine, a bus driver, a much younger woman. It is through Margueritte that Germain comes to life. She reads to him the books she loved. She lives in a retirement home that is expensive and her relatives are against keeping her there. To make matters worse, Margueritte is losing her sight. When the older woman suddenly stops coming to the park, Germain goes to investigate, only to find out she has been taken to a nursing home in Belgium, near where her relatives live. Germain cannot accept the idea of losing Margueritte and takes it upon himself to bring her to his home for the reminder of her days.A beautiful and uplifting film by Jean Becker, a director that loves to take subtle stories and give them a life of their own. The source of the material was a novel by Marie-Sabine Roger. The director and Jean-Loup Dabadie adapted it for the screen and turned it into a sort of ode to the friendship between two unlike people that come together out of mutual respect and admiration. It is a feel good movie that can be enjoyed by all kinds of audiences.Gerard Depardieu with his new bulk is perfect as Germain, the man that has been misunderstood all his life. He does not have to pretend anything with Margueritte for she never asks anything of him. Gisele Casadesus, a veteran actress in her nineties, matches Mr. Depardieu in ways that surprise us. Having worked with Mr. Becker before, she proves an invaluable asset, and a perfect casting to the film. Both Mr. Depardieu and Ms. Casadesus give exquisite performances. Maurane plays Francine, the young woman in love with Germain.A heart warming film for audiences young and old thanks to Jean Becker's vision.