I fell across this by pure chance, and I'm delighted that I did. The title character, Claire is beautifully lived by Catherine Frot and her late father's ex-mistress turns up looking for him, only to discover that he killed himself when she left, and Claire has blamed her for this ever since. They are not the best of friends naturally, but it's sweet that Beatrice calls Claire her daughter when they are in the hospital, yet openly discusses Claire's mother with her at other times. Claire has a son who bears a startling resemblance to her father and this naturally affects Beatrice when they meet. There are other threads - the impending redundancy, the son and his pregnant partner, and the allotment where Claire grows all her own vegetables and meets Paul, who has taken over his father's patch. The allotments are alongside a rural part of the River Seine and her son loves to swim there. Claire who is a pescaterian, non-drinking, non-smoking healthy woman, who has strict boundaries around her, slowly releases hold on all the rules she has built around her as she cares for the recalcitrant Beatrice who is dying of a brain tumour. The women grow closer as time passes, and at the end of the film, it is Claire who has changed and is much happier. A lovely, gently amusing story with usual French clarity and no nasty surprises.
Review of The Midwife
