V E N T N O R   F I L M  S O C I E T Y​​

Ivan Calbérac’s adaptation of his own play, The Tasting (La Dégustation), is a warm, character-led romantic comedy about finding love in later life in the most unexpected of places.

 

Jacques, (Bernard Campan) is a chronically lonely, grumpy wine merchant facing financial ruin. To make matters worse, he has a serious heart condition which has forced him to give up alcohol for his health. But his life is set to change when he encounters Hortense (Isabelle Carré), a devout, cheerful forty-something midwife who lives with her cat and her overbearing mother, volunteers for a charity and harbours a fervent wish for a family and child.

 

The pair meet when Hortense visits his shop to buy wine for a dinner she is preparing for the homeless as part of her charity work at the church. Intrigued, she is eager to see Jacques again and signs up for one of his wine tasting workshops. Despite being an odd-couple pairing—the cynical, abstinent merchant and the optimistic, religious midwife—a genuine spark develops.

 

Yet the film does contain some darker, more serious themes that give the film emotional weight. As Jacques and Hortense grow closer, they each face major, deep-seated emotional hurdles: Jacques must grapple with his alcoholism and the grief of a past tragedy, Hortense must face her strong desire for a family and the growing pressure of her biological clock. The film follows their tender, mature courtship as they seek to overcome their respective personal crises so they can fully commit to the hope of a shared future.

 

The charm of the film is enhanced by its location in the historic and picturesque city of Troyes with its beautiful medieval architecture, timber-framed houses and cobbled alleyways, lending a touch of romantic escapism and French flair to the narrative. In fact, the wine owned by Jacques in the movie is based on a real-life location in the city centre: Le Cellier St Pierre.

 

But wine provides not only the setting for the action, but acts as a metaphor for life. Just as a fine wine will be aged and balanced, so must a relationship be in later life, as the lovers must balance their old routines and past sorrows against their new desires. In a dégustation, we look beyond the first sip to taste a complexity of notes, some soft and some bitter, that come together to give the perfect blend.

​​

To book, please email ventnorfilmsociety@hotmail.com.

 

The Critics Say...

"The Tasting is a simple but charming film with a good bouquet. It will appeal to Francophiles, wine enthusiasts and fans of rom-coms alike with its French flair." Latoya Austin, Movie Maker ***

 

 

"Carré and Campan are both quietly charismatic and wear their roles with comfortable, crumpled honesty." Kevin Maher, The Times ***

​

Seeped in French whimsy, The Tasting is nicely shot and the small-town setting is a postcard-perfect presence. Calbérac also subtly touches on social themes, namely ageism, feminism and the exploitation of the marginalised via Jacques’s troubled young intern (played by the charming Mounir Amamra). Antonia Georgiou, The Upcoming ***

​