Review of Mademoiselle Chambon

The family life of Jean, a construction worker, gets disrupted when he meets his son's cultured, beautiful & sophisticated teacher, Veronique Chambon. The scene at the beginning where the family struggles to find the direct object in a sentence for his son's homework sets the tone that both the parents haven't had much of an education but they're clearly intelligent people who finally figure out the answer after looking at some examples. They also seem to be very involved parents who clearly love their child. Our protagonists are both shy people. They're from different worlds & in a way, Jean and Veronique, both represent what the other person cannot have. Jean loves his family & finds great joy in his work. However, he hasn't had a lot of chance to experience the finer things in life, & this is exactly what Veronique brings to his life. Veronique, on the other hand, is a very lonely woman who needs love and affection. It is hinted that she comes from a family of overachievers and was once a promising violin virtuoso. We are never really told what went wrong but her reaction when she hears her mother say over the voicemail that she is proud of her sister's achievements is subtle but very telling. Her vulnerability is something that everyone can empathise with. She really takes to Jean because he is a decent, hardworking man and a loving father to his son. The character sketch of Jean is done very well indeed. He gets so restless that he literally stalks Veronique at some point, but is decent enough to not bother her when she doesn't take his calls. This display of passion from the reserved man, and yet the respect for the other person's boundaries, is a very compelling evidence that (i) he's in love, & (ii) he's a good & decent man. The chemistry between the actors is quite believable. Many scenes are very well done, particularly the ones with the subtle gestures (the scene showing falling tears was truly exceptional!), the moments depicting family life & all the scenes where violin is being played. In fact, music is like another protagonist in the film. At the risk of sounding like a heretic, I would say that I liked this film better than Brief Encounter. What a deeply moving film this is! Anyone who's ever felt a strong passion, particularly for a person who one knows deep down is wrong for them, is sure to appreciate it.