French cinema at its best

The much-anticipated new film from Cesar-winning writer/director Martin Provost (Sraphine), THE MIDWIFE marks the remarkable pairing of two of French cinemas most beloved stars, Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot. Gifted midwife Claire (Frot) has led a quiet, focused life, dedicated to her profession and to the raising of her son as a single mother. But change is in the air; the local community maternity ward where she has worked for decades is to be closed, and though she has a job offer from a larger corporate clinic, Claire struggles to reconcile their more efficiency-driven methods with her own. In the midst of this upheaval, she receives a call from Batrice (Deneuve), the extravagant mistress of her deceased father, who wants to meet again, thirty years after having disappeared without a trace. Batrice is a true free-spirit loud, vivacious, and seemingly without guilt. Claire agrees to meet with her, but is decidedly less than enthusiastic about delving into the secrets of the past, let alone prepared to respond to a plea for helpProvost has made a name for himself with indelible portraits of women, but reaches new heights with this exquisite depiction of feminine strengths and frailties. THE MIDWIFE memorably and movingly questions the value of change, but also whether steak, chips and red wine can really be considered a healthy lunch.