MADAME

France, 2017, 91 minutes, Colour.
Toni Collette, Harvey Keitel, Rossy de Palma, Michael Smiley, Tom Hughes.
Directed by Amanda Sthers.

This is a French film with an international cast, a French writer-director who brings a female sensibility to the story and the central characters.

In fact, the real central character of the film is not Toni Collette as Madame, Anne, married to the older Bob (Harvey Keitel), his second marriage, with a stepson as well as three children of her own. The main character is Maria, played by Rossy DePalma? who appeared in a number of films by Pedro Almodovar. She is the maid in the Paris household.

In many ways, this could be considered a comedy of manners – and a comedy of quite some bad manners.

Bob has financial problems and is trying to sell off a Last Supper by Caravaggio. The evaluator for the authenticity of the painting is a good friend, David (Michael Smiley). Bob and Anne decide to host a lavish dinner which will also include the buyer of the painting and his wife, and a French tutor who is trying to coach Bob in conversational French. There are 12 to sit down to dinner. However, Steven (Tom Hughes), Bob’s oldest son, suddenly turns up, invites himself to dinner and, horror of horrors, that means thirteen places at table.

Which means that the early part of the drama is how to solve this dread situation. Anne gets the brainwave that Maria should sit down to dinner, fourteen places. So, rather unwillingly, Maria gets dressed, comes down to dinner, is placed safely beside Bob so that he can control her, with Anne critically surveying everything from the head of the table. Maria sits next to David and he is immediately charmed (although told by Steven mischievously that Maria has royalty connections). There is tension at the dinner – relieved, not for Anne, when David persuades Maria to tell a rude joke.

It is not all’s well that ends well. David is smitten, keeps contact with Maria, invites her out to the cinema, to meals (with Bob and Anne spying on them with the dilemma of whether to tell David the truth or not, Bob hesitating until the Caravaggio is authenticated). But, for Anne, it is a matter of class, social status, and, despite some gestures of friendship and kindness towards Maria, 26 is a dominating snob.

Rossy DePalma? brings dignity to her role as Maria, something of a fish out of water, in no way glamorous, but a woman of feeling, who has her own daughter, and is thrilled by the attentions from David and falling in love.

How can it all end? Because this is a French film there is discussion about (and some dismissiveness concerning) happy American endings. In fact, just before the final credits, Steven, who has overcome his writer’s block by writing a novella based on the experience of Maria and David, refers to audiences and whether they want an American happy ending or not.

And the film stops, leaving the audience to ponder the clues and decide for themselves whether there can be a happy ending or not.

1. A European story? American story? Americans in Paris? Society and status, personal drama, comic touches? The cast?

2. The locations, the city of Paris, its beauty, the different regions, the streets, homes, mansions? Restaurants? The musical score?

3. The title and tone, with reference to Anne? Society and snobbery, wealth, status?

4. Maria as the focus, her appearance, her facial appearance, Spanish, her accent? As the maid, with the staff, 10 years of service? Her own daughter, Skyping her and congratulating her on her achievement? Her place in the family? The dinner, the 13th place, the dilemma? Maria and her hesitation, Anne’s decision, the clothes, the choice of dress, the shoes, sitting at the table, near Bob and his control, Anne and her looks, chatting, next to David, drinking, talking, reticent, her being urged to tell the rude joke? Anne upset? The discussion in the kitchen? Hurrying Maria away?

5. Bob and Anne, poverty, selling the Caravaggio, getting it valued, David as the expert, the presence of the buyer and his wife? Living in Paris, the house? Anne and the preparation for the dinner, the places, Steven and his arriving, the extra place? And Bob, his age, the second marriage, their children at home, the bond with Maria? The sports event and their mother’s support? Steven and his story, his mother and Bob’s disdain? Published author, casual, arriving in the house, taking over?

6. The dinner, the guests, their arrival, everything formal, the preparation of the tables, the measuring of the places? David, the expert, his Irish background? The buyer and his wife? French, his motives for getting the painting? The house, the swimming pool? The teacher and her relationship with Bob? Steven, mischief, telling David about Maria’s identity, telling lies?

7. David, his reaction, contacting Maria, going out, the dates, at the cinema, watching The Invisible Man? The restaurants? The talk, his assuming she was nobility? Discussions about Spain? The nights together? The effect on Maria, in love, the servants and their comments? The effect on David? Bob and Anne and their spying, their comments, eating hamburgers as they spied? Anne and her dilemma about whether to tell David the truth or not? Bob hesitant because of the verifying of the authenticity of the picture?

8. Maria, the effect, going out, sharing with David?

9. Anne, the contrived coincidence in the street, telling David the truth, his reaction? No phone calls, Maria hurt, her phoning, disappointed? With the family, the promise of the raise – and her decision to leave?

10. Steven, his writer’s block, taunting people, writing the novel about Maria? The role of the publisher, the manuscript, the discussion about the ending?

11. Anne and Bob, their behaviour in Paris, the bedroom talk, Anne and her vanity and stylist? The affair with the buyer? Bob and the relationship with the French teacher? Going back to the US?

12. The discussion about happy endings, the disdain for them, American happy endings? Steven his talking with David, David realising his mistake, Maria walking away – and the film
ending but the audiences having clues as to happy ending or not?