User Reviews

A man (Ciarán Hinds) spends all day at a table outside a Marseilles restaurant, a vaguely dissatisfied expression on his face. In the evening, he sees five men throw what looks to be a shrouded body into a canal. When they spot him, the man hurries back to his hotel and departs on what seems to have been a planned journey north across France.

This is a movie that defies the genres. It has been described as a comedy - the poster, with its misleading 'tagline', implies it, too - and, while it has amusing moments, mostly silent, it is not really a comedy. Nor is it a drama. I would describe the atmosphere in the film as one of gentle melancholy, a happy kind of sad, if you will, or perhaps close to what Germans call Sehnsucht.

As for its form, that too is difficult to place. Though superficially a straightforward, if episodic, adventure, The Man in the Hat has no plot, no story-line, at least on the surface. It is a series of vignettes, some of which feature the Man at their centre; in others, he merely observes or eavesdrops on a scene, or on dialogue.

I think the movie is an allegory; his journey is his death. He doesn't want to die; not because he is afraid but simply because he likes his life too much, likes the people in it too much: "I miss them all", he chalks on the trunk of a tree. The ferry voyage at the end is his crossing-over. His expression in the final scene is not one of fear, but of regret. He does not want to go.

In this context, the movie is a series of random memories, woven together into a very loose narrative. There are elements of the surreal to it: the Man keeps seeing or meeting the same people, though, logically, he should not, and he does not think this strange. The people represent those from his life; the girl in the photograph, his wife when young? The woman on the bicycle, his wife as he left her? Most of the vignettes appear to be about loss; this would fit with the theme of the allegory.

Hinds is the main performer, but his character, about which we learn nothing directly, is, as I wrote above, not always in the middle of events. Hinds is called on to react a great deal, such as when he first meets a couple of moonshiners who wordlessly agree to help him with automobile troubles, or when he overhears an involved story featuring a girl's vanished boyfriend. While there is some mugging for the camera, by him and other actors, in the style favoured by silent-film makers, he nonetheless, with just a couple of words spoken through the film (other players say much more), make us sympathise with the Man.

Others in the cast do very well. They are a mixture of British and French performers, few, perhaps, known to North American audiences except Stephen Dillane. Aoife Hinds, the star's daughter, plays a singing garage mechanic, while her mother, Hélène Patarot, portrays another.

The writing is very good; at least I think it is: for what I perceive the movie to be about, it is very good. There are moments of misfire. One example is when the Man spills olive oil on his shirt. He cuts out the stained patch of cloth, then uses a felt marker to make a portion of his white under-shirt the same colour as his outer garment, creating the illusion of a complete shirt. This Mr Bean-like scene is incongruous, since nothing else the Man does is similar. The writers were probably waiting years to include it in some film or other.

Yet there are effecting scenes, such as when the Man consoles another, who is crushed by grief, or when a haunting song plays while the Man sits seemingly alone in his car.

This is certainly not a movie for all tastes. It may be seen as a waste of time by many; one amateur reviewer called it a 'failed travelogue'; others saw no point to it. One professional reviewer hoped for a sequel; if my theory of the allegory is right, then the reviewer missed the point all together. Other reviewers seem to have applied the word 'whimsical' to it quite often. I would not think much about The Man in the Hat is whimsical. Nor is it depressing. Writing this review a week after I watched the movie, I find that I like it more now than I did immediately after its conclusion, and think about it more than I did. If you like that sort of motion picture, you will find The Man in the Hat worth its ninety-five minutes.

Quirky movie meant to be felt and not over intellectualized. It's the kind of movie that people who don't get foreign movies will point to as an example of why they can seem unwatchable. It's a barbell movie, you either get it and like it or you find it a waste of time. To me its about human life, its absurdities, its loneliness; about our need to connect with others and the mysterious ways it can happen, sometimes by just being present; about our need to be loved and how kooky and idiosyncratic that love can appear to others; about living in the present, the joy in just taking in the spectacle and wonder of life; about finding pleasure in the simple things: a simple picnic on a beautiful day in the countryside, an impromptu swim in a river, an afternoon nap under the warm sun, everyday human connections with strangers, etc. Its a bowl of chicken soup for these days of living under Covid.

EXCELLENT soundtrack which for me is always key in helping me connect with a movie. One of the directors is a composer and the music is integral to the experience.

My first review here and felt compelled to add it after watching this movie.

On the surface this is a charming faux-travel movie where the titular character drives through a series of whimsical scenes with recurring characters reminiscent of the famous Monsieur Hulot. On one level this is dangerously close to a French travel advert. What lifts it however is a number of elements - not the least being Ciaran Hinds' presence, Stephen Dillane's mournful turn, and other vital cameos. The key however is the soulful picture of a woman Hinds places on the passenger seat of his Fiat 500 and also the desperately un-desperate pursuit of a motley crew in their Citroën Dyane. Hinds witnesses these characters pulling up and depositing what appears to be a corpse into the waters so in alarm flees from them. This flight is the core of the movie but it is a flight redolent with picnics, charming interludes, picturesque landscapes and inevitably a meeting with destiny.

It is a destiny only revealed at the end and which broke me.

The look on Hinds face in the final shot tells all and reveals the true weft of the movie: it is a serenade to his passing over and putting behind of his life. What was put into that water is all too obvious now and all the whimsy and beauty and loves he witnesses are to help him make peace and move on over that final river we must all cross over.

Am I reading too much into this movie? Possibly. Probably. But something in his face at the end and the fact the passport which is stamped bears no national markings makes me think not.

This feels like a rendition of a literary work, but I can't identify what it's supposed to be. Clearly, it isn't a story about vacationing in France! It's one of those films that you feel like you should watch over and over, scene by scene, breaking it down until you figure it out.

I think the statement that our main character wrote on the tree is the theme of the film. "I miss them all." It would appear that he is reliving events of his life, but in an extremely exaggerated context. When he makes the proclamation on the tree, he is expressing his sadness due to loss. This is primarily speaking of the loss of friends, family and most likely a wife. It could also be referring to love, experiences, youth, memories, etc.

The interesting aspect is how the film makers made it so vague that a single viewing will not suffice for those who need to understand the story. It's definitely open for interpretation. There's some really strange scenes as well as some meaningful drama mixed in.

The lack of dialogue really plays into the probability that this is a memory sequence. It's interesting that there are several scenes where someone is telling a story. It's a fact that there are some things that we hear in our lives that stick with us whereas most of what we hear is forgotten. Some stories stick with us forever. When we reflect on our memories, it seems we remember things that happen rather than the dialogue we participate in, so this may explain why there's very little speaking in the film.

It's a beautiful film and feels like one that you might leave playing in the background in your home, even when you're not watching it too closely. It just has a pleasant ambiance.

This movie... It stays with you. I couldn't tell you why I loved it, or describe what kind of film it is, but I can say that I've watched it twice, and can't quit thinking about it. This movie resonates with the soul and touches the far reaches of the mind. I want to share it with everyone, but I'm afraid they won't appreciate it. I'm going to have to watch it again.

The scenery, the music, the ambience- they are all absolutely delightful. If you are tired of being in the place you are, watch this movie- it will transport you.

The pure genius of the writers and Ciaràn Hinds is remarkable. This film is a monumental achievement.