The story begins in an orphanage where the children are treated badly. One defiant young man among them, Paul, has a woman visitor, Celestine, who was summoned there. She is being asked to take him into custody, as the orphanage is soon to be shut down. She is not a relative, but there is some vague connection which we do not learn at this point in the story. She refuses the request, but agrees to see Paul before leaving. His defiance is manifested yet again and he is slapped by the man in charge and treated roughly. The impact on the woman is obvious, and the next scene we see them together on the train. It is obvious that Paul has mixed feelings about this change in his life.
They arrive at a small house in a rustic setting. Celestine is a servant of a Count that lives nearby on a very large estate. She is very kind, but her husband, Borel, is rather brutish. As it happens Borel is also employed by the Count as a sort of gameskeeper. Paul has a hard time with Borel, but since it is summer vacation he is able to spend his time in the woods. He quickly falls in love with the surrounding nature, and also makes friends with a local poacher, Totoche. This presents an interesting conflict since Borel is constantly trying to catch the very clever Totoche in the act of poaching, but is never successful. Totoche teaches Paul many things, thus the title of the movie.
A slight twist is introduced when we find out that Celestine (and many others) actually support and protect Totoche, but Borel is clueless. Paul continues to change in a nice way and grows closer to Celestine. The interactions that follow keep the story interesting, but we are not aware of what is yet to come. The remainder of the story is nicely paced and carefully woven as it develops toward an unexpected disclosure.
The acting was very good, the scenery was splendid, the plot kept my interest throughout, and the ending -- though some may find it a bit too "cute" -- left me feeling quite satisfied. You must watch it in order to judge for yourself.
They arrive at a small house in a rustic setting. Celestine is a servant of a Count that lives nearby on a very large estate. She is very kind, but her husband, Borel, is rather brutish. As it happens Borel is also employed by the Count as a sort of gameskeeper. Paul has a hard time with Borel, but since it is summer vacation he is able to spend his time in the woods. He quickly falls in love with the surrounding nature, and also makes friends with a local poacher, Totoche. This presents an interesting conflict since Borel is constantly trying to catch the very clever Totoche in the act of poaching, but is never successful. Totoche teaches Paul many things, thus the title of the movie.
A slight twist is introduced when we find out that Celestine (and many others) actually support and protect Totoche, but Borel is clueless. Paul continues to change in a nice way and grows closer to Celestine. The interactions that follow keep the story interesting, but we are not aware of what is yet to come. The remainder of the story is nicely paced and carefully woven as it develops toward an unexpected disclosure.
The acting was very good, the scenery was splendid, the plot kept my interest throughout, and the ending -- though some may find it a bit too "cute" -- left me feeling quite satisfied. You must watch it in order to judge for yourself.