{"id":3602,"date":"2017-10-28T16:14:59","date_gmt":"2017-10-28T06:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=3602"},"modified":"2017-10-28T10:23:37","modified_gmt":"2017-10-28T00:23:37","slug":"midwife-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/midwife-movie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Midwife – movie review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regrets and letting go are the cornerstones of The Midwife<\/em>. This French drama looks at a fractured relationship between a straitlaced woman and her free-spirited elder.\u00a0Cesar-winning writer\/director Martin Provost\u2019s (S\u00e9raphine<\/em>) film pairs two of French cinema\u2019s most beloved stars, Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gifted midwife Claire (Frot) has led a quiet, focused life. She’s dedicated to her profession and to raising her son as a single mother, but change is in the air.\u00a0The local community maternity ward, where she has worked for decades, is to be closed. Though she has a job offer from a larger corporate clinic, Claire struggles to reconcile their efficiency-driven methods with her own.\u00a0In the midst of this upheaval, she receives a call from B\u00e9atrice (Deneuve), the extravagant mistress of her deceased father. B\u00e9atrice wants to meet up again, 30 years after having disappeared without a trace.\u00a0B\u00e9atrice is a true free spirit \u2013 loud, vivacious, and seemingly without guilt.<\/p>\n

Claire agrees to see her, but is less than enthusiastic about delving into the secrets of the past. She’s certainly not prepared to respond to a plea for help.<\/p>\n

Provost says he was saved at birth by a midwife. She gave him her blood and allowed him to live, doing so with discretion and humility.\u00a0However, The Midwife<\/em> is not an autobiographical movie.\u00a0Provost did not want to tell his own story. Rather it was a pretext to go further, to become better acquainted with a profession that has always fascinated him.<\/p>\n

The director has made a name for himself by crafting indelible portraits of women. In The Midwife<\/em>\u00a0he focuses on depicting women’s strengths and frailties.<\/p>\n

I particularly appreciated Frot\u2019s purse-lipped performance.\u00a0It is a role that has depth and nuance.\u00a0Here is this highly-strung, closed-minded woman who has spent a lifetime caring for others and bringing life into the world.<\/p>\n