This effort from Manuel Poirier contains a few features typical from him, especially as far as the place of the story is concerned. As its title indicates, "in the country" takes place in the opposite side of the city and it is obviously a place where Poirier feels deeply attached to and which he seems to know like the back of his hand. The Norman country is rendered with accuracy and precision. The description the director makes of the inhabitants' manners and customs would virtually be worth of an entomologist's.
But where Poirier strikes is where he leads the spectator: to an unexpected progression. "In the country" has a surprising screenplay because it doesn't exactly obey a Cartesian logic and it doesn't submit to narratives conventions. Indeed, it changes story while keeping a homogeneous tone. In the beginning of the film, we believe that the movie will essentially concentrate on Lila's adventures in the little town of Brionne and its surroundings. It's true in the first part of the movie: she meets Benoit, falls in love with him and decides to stay in his house. But in the middle of the movie, she leaves him without any explanation (however, before that, Lila had let suggested in one sequence,in front of her sister that she didn't feel at home in Brionne and she wanted to leave). From then onwards, Lila disappears and Benoit becomes the main character. In spite of the support of his friends, he suffers from Lila's absence. Poirier chose this somewhat disconcerting structure for a better approach of his characters. By sketching them like Cédric Klapisch with irony and tenderness, the director listens closely to their problems whatever they are and I think the message he tries to convey is quite eloquent: the characters feel lonely deep inside them and search to take advantage as much as possible of precious positive things like love and friendship. Poirier demonstrates in a conclusive way that these two things are temporary but efficient cures against loneliness and sadness. On another extent, even in sad situations, the movie doesn't forget to include comical moments (when all the animals come into Benoit's house, it nearly looks like Noah's ark).
Overrall, this delicate and sensitive movie finds itself half-way between a portrayal of the customs and a praise to love and friendship. If you have seen and been enthusiastic about the reviving "Western" (1997) from the same Manuel Poirier, you may want to watch this film.
