The Bakery girl of Monceau (La Boulangère de Monceau, French; 1963)
Written and Directed by: Éric Rohmer
This 23 minute mini presentation is the first of Rohmer's six series of 'Moral Tales'. These moral tales are not meant to appear overtly preachy or the actions to be good or black, but meant to stimulate our thinking faculty. Inevitably, the answers are never black or white depending on your morals.
This offering is a narrative of a law student who is mesmerized by a lady (Sylvie) who passes through his path daily. After much hesitation and shyness, he managed to build some courage to talk to her amidst an accidental bump into her at a pedestrian crossing. Then she disappears. The protagonist, Bertrand, goes wandering around the vicinity that she was usually spotted during his free time trying to locate her, in between his preparation for his examinations.
During these walks, he would regularly stop at a bakery for snacks. After many visits, he started fancying the girl at the bakery (Jacquiline). He started flirting with her. He made a date with her.
Just before the date, the missing lady appears. She had been home bound for three weeks after a foot condition. They continued their relationship right where they had stopped before. He finds her sharing his same frequency, unlike the girl from the bakery. Pretty soon, they get married.
I suppose what the writer is saying is the concept of love is a very fickle one. At one moment, you think, with the raging hormones and the irrational impulses of the mind, that she is the one for you and you would die for her. And the next moment, out of sight out of mind. With nothing binding them together, the eyes wonder and they make do with what is within their reach. So much for Romeo and Juliet kind of love saga....
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