A seemingly simple taxi ride across Paris evolves into a profound meditation on the realities of the driver and his fare, a 92-year-old woman whose warmth belies her shocking past. Charles (Dany Boon) is a taxi driver in Paris, and he is having a very bad day. Enter Madeleine (Line Renaud), an immaculately groomed nonagenarian, who informs Charles that the trip today will not be a direct one. She is moving into a nursing home and would like to make some stops along the way predicting that this might be her last car ride through the city. Their ride takes them through the momentous locations of her life and their brief friendship deepens as Madeleine listens to Charles confess his own worries. Boon, an actor best known for his comedic work, creates a dramatic portrait of a frustrated man facing a personal crisis of epic proportions. His darker, sharper edges allow Renaud (renowned for decades in France as a singer) to shine as the pure shimmering light that is Madeleine, reminding us that inside every seemingly benign elderly woman we might pass on the street is a warrior, a nurturer, and a spirited adventurer.

For in-depth thoughts on Driving Madeleine, please see my colleague Cameron Ritter’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Driving Madeleine comes to Blu-Ray with a lovely 1080p presentation that brings this story to life without issue. This is a visually clean but stylistically reserved film with detailed shots of the city and inside the taxi where you can see an incredible amount of texture. The natural color palette supplies a nice depth in elements of the lighting, clothing, and production design. Skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. Black levels are deep and do not appear to stumble when it comes to compression artifacts. You also will not spot any instances of intrusive digital noise in the presentation. The highlights are handled favorably with no hint of blooming in sight. Cohen Media Group has offered up a terrific presentation for this one.

Audio Quality

The film comes to Blu-Ray with an effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original French. Cohen continues their practice of utilizing forced subtitles which might be irritating to native speakers of the language. The understated score from Philippe Rombi sets the mood of the film as it flows through with peerless fidelity. The movie features practically nothing in the way of action, but there is a constant stream of environmental activity that comes through well. Dialogue and sound effects are perfectly balanced with the score where nothing gets muddled in the track. Surround channels get some enjoyable activity with the ambiance of the various environments. The low end of the track is not a major presence, as subtle environmental sounds make a greater impression in the surrounds. This track accomplishes what it sets out to do.

Special Features

Interview with Director Christian Carion and Chuck Rose: An 18-minute interview with the filmmaker in which he discusses getting involved with the film, what drew him to the material, the personal aspects that connected with him, how he made shooting inside the car a dynamic process, working with the performers, and much more.

Theatrical Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Driving Madeleine is not the most flashy or thrilling movie you will see all year, but it is likely one of the ones that will stick with you the longest. This is a small movie that taps into some truly emotional territory and reminds you why human connection can be so important. The mere act of two people finding common ground and understanding one another is simply beautiful. To sell this, you need two performers who can fully inhabit their characters, and Dany Boon and Line Renaud pull this off effortlessly. This is the type of banter you could lose yourself in for hours if the movie went on for that long. Don’t let the straightforward premise fool you, this is a formidable narrative. Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a nice interview. Recommended

Driving Madeleine is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.