That is a kind of film the place you actually should learn the complete “My Donkey” title earlier than you surrender on it. That “and I” is essential. This clumsy wording is a recasting of the film’s precise French title, “Antoinette dans les Cévennes” which even somebody who flunked French would possibly be capable of translating into “Antoinette in the Cévennes,” an easy sufficient title besides I suppose the idea is that few Individuals know what the Cévennes are.
What they’re in a mountain varies in south-central France, one famously explored by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson in 1878, chronicled in his e-book Travels with a Donkey within the Cévennes. Not famously sufficient, apparently. Famously sufficient, alternatively, to nonetheless gasoline tourism within the area—mountain climbing treks, with or and not using a donkey, are an enormous draw there. Antoinette, the title character of the French title, goes for the donkey possibility on an impulsive jaunt to the Cévennes to comply with her married lover.
We don’t see this coming within the film’s opening scene, which includes schoolteacher Antoinette (Laure Calamy, whose “Call My Agent” fame stateside was most likely instrumental in getting this film a U.S. distributor) turning into a robe whereas her college students hold their heads on their desk previous to a grade-school expertise present recital. What we do see is a personality so spontaneous that she’s keen to threaten being seen half-naked by a category full of children.
The daddy of one of many children, Vladimir (Benjamin Lavernhe), is the lover, and after the recital, which was an end-of-school affair, Antoinette is virtually giddy about taking off on a trip with him. However no. The adulterous interlude is being usurped by a household journey to the Cévennes. Daughter Alice (Louise Vidal), enchanted by Stevenson, has begged for the journey. In what we perceive as a characteristically nutty transfer, Antoinette books her personal hike.
With a donkey, an enthralling grayish one named Patrick. In her introduction to her mountain climbing group, she learns that not one of the others took the donkey possibility. Antoinette has no expertise with animals, no thought of tips on how to tie a slipknot, and actually inappropriate mountain climbing footgear. (They’re Nike basketball sneakers.)
Refreshingly, the film, written and directed by Caroline Vignal, doesn’t lean too onerous on Antoinette’s utter unsuitability to doors life; the footage of her chasing the donkey is mercifully temporary. Because it occurs, Patrick is a companionable soul who forges a seemingly actual connection to Antoinette. His affinity is explicitly expressed when Antoinette lastly runs into Vladimir and his household: he brays, for the primary time, at Vladimir’s spouse.
At this event, Vladimir freaks out. Not sufficient to forestall him from taking Antoinette out into the woods for a quickie later that night time. Because it occurs, Vladimir’s spouse, Elénore (Olivia Côte) is aware of all about Vladimir’s erotic indiscretions, and the sequence the place she tells Antoinette all about it as Patrick nods impassively is sort of the comedic lulu.
It’ll come as no shock that the journey turns into certainly one of self-realization for Antoinette, as her trek with Patrick infuses her with a brand new sense of self-worth. A reasonably attractive one too, together with not one but two meet-cutes and one “that-happened” hookup and ends with one other hookup to return. Without a single arthouse contact, this in the end charming trifle may nicely be an American rom-com has been it not fairly so, nicely, promiscuous. In that French means. Certainly, an American remake is likely to be fascinating for simply that cause.