After a film-free year in 2022, 2023 saw the return of Michel Blanc to the big screen , in the Petites Victoires. Directed by Mélanie Auffret, the film won the Jury Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2023 Alpe d'Huez Film Festival. The film will be broadcast this Tuesday, January 9, at 10:55 pm on Canal+.
Les Petites Victoires is Mélanie Auffret's second film, after Roxane, released in 2019. In addition to Michel Blanc, she also directs Julia Piaton(Le Discours, C'est la vie), Lionel Abelanski(Plancha) and India Hair(Annie Colère, En même temps, Mandibules).
Our verdict
A well-deserved double award at Alpe d'Huez for Les Petites Victoires. Mélanie Auffret's film is a real treat, full of humor and tenderness. However, the story of this comedy hinted at something quite different. Les Petites Victoires is a misnomer, since Alice (Julia Piaton), the mayor of the small village of Kerguen and the film's protagonist, is one defeat after another. She is unable to revitalize her village, which lacks essential shops, or prevent the closure of her school, where she is also a teacher. She's all alone to deal with all the problems of the small commune, and doesn't have a single second to herself.
As if that weren't enough, Emile (Michel Blanc), the village's grumpy old man, an illiterate with an explosive temper, crashes into her classroom to learn to read and write. And even though he initially takes a malicious pleasure in bullying the children(all of whom are very well chosen and adorable in their roles), he gradually integrates into the class and helps Alice to cope.
It's a lovely family comedy about a subject we don't often see in this genre: neglected France. Villages with no doctor or baker, and remote enough that you can still find people who have never left the place, or who can't read. Such is the case with Emile, a lovable character who, beneath his grumpy exterior, is in reality a man broken by his condition, and who has never had a chance in life.
For her part, Julia, who is mayor, schoolteacher, social worker, carpenter and sometimes even shrink, is the only authority in her village. The only person you can go to in a pinch, and that's obviously starting to weigh on her. Despite all this, Les Petites Victoires remains hopeful, and takes us in surprising directions that we wouldn't expect from a mainstream comedy. Even so, the film remains genuinely funny. Most of the scenes are heartfelt, and Mélanie Auffret proves once again that laughter can be generated in many different ways. A real favorite for this concentrate of emotion!
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