French films can occasionally have the incorrect perception that they are a little inaccessible or too high brow if you are just looking for something light-hearted. Populaire is the perfect example of how this is certainly not the case.
Although the current trend for series and films set in the 1950’s and 60’s looks like it is set to continue, the sets and attention to detail continues to keep fans completely enthralled. Mad Men was arguably the series that pushed the idea to the fore, depicting real life events which occurred as a back drop for the happenings in a Madison Avenue advertising agency.
However, the 50’s and 60’s have begun to become quite fatigued in terms of interpretation. There are only so many whiskeys the men can knock back and insults and sexist comments that can be aimed at the women before everyone becomes a little bit bored. These are some of the problems that Populaire encounters in its running time.
Set in a quaint little town in 1958, the story revolves around Rose (Deborah Francois), a young girl who has dreams of becoming a secretary. When she finally secures a position, her boss Louis (Romain Duris), who doesn’t seem to have any use for a secretary in the first place, realises she has no future with the position, but notices she is one hell of a typist.
Rather than fire Rose, he decides to train her for typing competitions in the surrounding area and make her into an international champion. However, the pair soon realise there is a lot more to their relationship than just boss and employee.
If you are not a fan of subtitled films, the “action” throughout Populaire is still enough to go on. The actual typing competitions are fiercely contested and you will not believe how much you are getting behind someone who is competing to be the fastest typer.
Deborah Francois is adorable as the wonderfully quirky Rose, but the real stand out performance is from Duris who brings enough anguish and heartbreak to the role to make him entirely believable. His ultimate gesture is also quite sweet.
The look of the film is actually pretty spellbinding also, every little detail has been thought of, streets resemble those from the 1950’s, costumes are flawless, even the jewellery and typewriters look shiny and new.
If you can ignore the blatant sexism that was quite obviously a part of everyday life for the era in question, Populaire is quite the treat.
