Marion Hansel’s 11th feature film, La Tendresse, stars Olivier Gourmet and French actress Marilyne Canto. This road movie addresses a larger public than her previous work, Noir Océan: travelling from Brussels to the summits of the Alps, is a couple which has been separated for over fifteen years. Now they come together again to pick up their son, who has been hospitalized abroad after a severe ski accident. As time passes, the hard feelings following their love make place for something more vague … tenderness perhaps?
Thomas de Thier is a young film maker, his Le goût des myrtilles being only his second feature. Paradoxally, he chooses to follow a much older couple: Jeanne and Michel are both in their eighties, and every day starts being more of the same. However, on this 3rd August, they are going on a picnic. It’s a beautiful day, but it will not happen as planned at all. On the road, they barely miss running over a child who has escaped his parents’ attention and a while later they lose their car keys. Without any further explanation, they abandon their car and travel deep into the woods. The two key roles are played by established actors Michel Piccoli (who recently triumphed with Habemus Papam) and Natacha Parry, a French-English actress known mainly from the theatre. For Wallimage this film means a first collaboration with production company Novak.
In addition to being well written and structured, both applications demonstrated a clear will to balance expenses between the Walloon and Brussels regions, which was very appreciated by the mixed economic fund.
