Sage Femme aka The Midwife, written and directed by Martin Provost - 8 out of 10

Sage Femme aka The Midwife, written and directed by Martin Provost
8 out of 10


Sage Femme benefits from the presence of the goddess Diana of the cinematic Olympus, Catherine Deneuve.

One of the best actresses in the world is no longer in her twenties, but she has vitality, grit and she performs with grace, noblesse and the well known talent in the role of Beatrice Sobo, a woman that has added to her real name and transformed it into Sobolevski.
She even claimed she a
was an aristocrat, but this is not the kind of pomp, narcissism specific to say the clown that climbed on top of the world, from where he keeps claiming he is the best, has the best mind, he is a stable genius, when it is evident he is just a fool named Trump.

Beatrice meets with Claire Breton, the child of her former partner, who is The Midwife from the title.
Where the older woman seems to be wild, reckless, keen on eating cattle head, ribbons, smoking, drinking alcohol, gambling and vivre a fond, the Midwife is the opposite:

Calm, well balanced, restrained, almost a teetotaler- even if she drinks a little, only on special occasions - reprimanding the former lover of her father and telling her she should keep a diet, avoid excesses and so on.
This is essential, life saving advice, given that Beatrice has been diagnosed with cancer and it looks like she would die soon...well, so much sooner if she continues with her indulgence and terrible life style.

On the other hand, she is interested in pleasurable activities, foods and she has a very crucial point, given that her days seem to be numbered, she should at least savor them...this could be one way to look at the terminal disease.
To begin with, the two women do not get along well, on the contrary, they clash and not just on account of their very different temperaments, but there is a more serious issue.

Claire blames this intruder for the death - which she announces to the surprise of her interlocutor- of her father, although she would learn that her late parent wanted to move in the country, while his lover was definitely a city mouse and could not stand life outside a major ville.
Gradually, they learn more about each other, their relatives, friends- the Midwife tells the story of her conception, in the train, between two stations, the fact that she argues continually with her mother, who hates everyone.

After a medical intervention, Beatrice asks Claire to drive her to see a person and then she wants her to write five checks, for one thousand euros each and give them to that woman.
The Midwife protests, for she explains this is too much for her, it is the equivalent of two salaries and furthermore, she knows what the older woman has done to her father...

After some arguments, she does write the checks, gives them to the stranger and she would be indeed paid back by the gambler, who is also making the gift of a ring and suggests that she wants to include her in her testament.
The Midwife has a garden, where her neighbor is a long distance truck driver, Paul Baron aka the wondrous Olivier Gourmet, who becomes a good friend and then and intimate partner.

There is a crazy scene where he invites the two women for a ride in his huge trailer, making one think of the huge waste and impact on the environment that should have been avoided by taking, if not a walk, then an ordinary car.
To make this scene even crazier, Paul asks Beatrice is she wants to drive the mastodon and when she says she does, she is invited at the wheel, where she could have caused a calamity.

Even if not one of the masterpieces in which we can admire Catherine Deneuve, Sage Femme is enjoyable.