Le Passe-montagne (1978)
Directed by Jean-François Stévenin

Film Review

Jean-François Stévenin may never have been a household name in France but for half a century he has been a prolific screen actor with around two hundred film and television credits.  He began his career in the late 1960s, early '70s working with some of the great auteurs of the period, most notably Jacques Rivette (Out 1), Paul Vecchiali (La Machine) and François Truffaut (La Nuit américaine, L'Argent de poche).  Since, he has rarely been away from our screens and has garnered considerable respect as a supporting actor in a wide variety of genres.

In 1978, Stévenin made his directing debut with Passe montagne, an idiosyncratic low-key variation on the classic buddy movie.  This is an intimate and personal portrait of friendship and solitude, set in the beautiful Jura Mountains where its director grew up.  Stévenin also stars in the film, playing alongside Jacques Villeret, another great actor who is best known today for his comedic performances in such films as La Soupe aux choux (1981) (in which he played a totally unforgettable extraterrestrial opposite Louis de Funès) and the hit Jacques Veber farce Le Dîner de cons (1998).  

Villeret and Stévenin have personalities and character traits that are markedly different and yet both convey the same sense of inner pain and fragility, which the film exploits to marvellous effect.  Their quiet, understated performances express so much about their internal woes that dialogue is almost superfluous.  Their gestures and looks convey far more than any quantity of verbiage in this arresting portrait of two solitary middle-aged men responding to each other's unspoken appeal for companionship and understanding.  Passe montagne is a subtly moving film which deals perceptibly with a profound need that we all feel from time to time time - the need to connect with others in order to make sense of ourselves and feel part of a wider cosmos.

Some stunning photography (by Jean-Yves Escoffier and Lionel Legros)  not only captures the exquisite beauty of the Jura setting, it also conveys something of the protagonists' angst-ridden yearning for a closer communion with the natural world.  It is as if the lead characters' glimpse of paradise has opened their eyes to new vistas as to what life is really about; suddenly they see a way through their respective mid-life crises, to a mountain pass that grants access to a happier, more fulfilled future.

Passe montagne is a remarkably understated film, a welcome change from the showy commercial offerings that dominated French cinema at the time.  Whilst its languorous pace and lack of incident may make it a challenge for some spectators, it has a simplicity and charm that is beguiling for those willing to stick with it and accompany its two leads on their journey of self-discovery.  Encouraged by the positive reviews he received for this debut piece, Stévenin went on to direct to similarly individualistic auteur pieces: Double messieurs (1986) and Mischka (2001).

Film Synopsis

When his car breaks down one evening in the Jura Mountains, a Parisian architect named Georges accepts the help of a local mechanic, Serge, who tows the car to a garage.  Serge lives nearby, in a small mountain village, and feels obliged to invite the stranger to spend the night in his forest house, whilst the car is being repaired.  Georges gladly accepts and, the following morning, he is in no hurry to go and collect his car.  He would rather take the time to get to know his host a bit more   The two men find it hard to speak to one another, but in spite of this a deep friendship has soon developed between them.  Together, they set out to explore the local countryside and socialise with their neighbours...