‘Driving Madeleine’ Review – A Moving Look At Human Connection

As the great Tony Soprano once said, “‘Remember when’ is the lowest form of conversation.” He thinks that reminiscing on the past keeps people from moving themselves forward. Christian Carion’s Driving Madeleine is a perfect example of why Tony is mistaken in his line of thinking. The movie follows Dany Boon’s taxi driver, Charles, as he drives Line Renaud’s titular Madeleine across Paris en route to a retirement home where she will spend her final days. Throughout the drive, Madeleine chronicles accounts from her life that walk through both moments of joy and of deep pain that are depicted in flashbacks throughout the film that affect Charles and break through his stoic demeanor.

Both Boon and Renaud give strong performances, with Alice Isaaz making her mark playing a young Madeleine in flashbacks. The present-day performers don’t get a lot of big, showy scenes to display their range, but can do so in the small moments of them just talking together. So much is conveyed through facial expressions. They burst into laughter, sit on the edge of their seats while listening to each other tell stories from their lives, and consistently match each other’s energy as the day goes on. 

Technically speaking the film is not flashy and fairly straightforward, but this only enhances its beauty and impact on the viewer. Many filmmakers try and take stories like this and try to reinvent the wheel visually or with editing instead of letting the story breathe and tell itself. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, there is something wonderful and refreshing about seeing a compelling, moving drama like this in modern times. Charles is your classic crotchety middle-aged man just trying to make ends meet, whereas Madeleine is an older woman who shows little care for the efficient use of time or what society expects out of her. Together they make an unlikely pair who only grow closer as Madeleine shares more of her life with Charles throughout their journey. 

The most significant achievement of Driving Madeleine is the message that so clearly comes through to the viewer. We live in a world that is so divided and individualistic that it is hard to make genuine connections with people. For most taxi drivers like Charles, it’s bad form to try and overly engage with customers that he drives around. People do not want to be bothered as they are just trying to get to the next thing. Madeleine breaks down these social barriers by talking about her life and asking Charles about his. She shows legitimate interest in him and turns his whole life around over the course of a day. There aren’t many opportunities for people to be open and vulnerable like this even with their friends, much less a stranger you happen to share a car with. As the narrative moves along, you can see Charles shift from a man whose only priority is making money for his family to a man who is showing concern and care for someone he barely knows. 

We can learn a lot from this film. It teaches about the importance of human connection and how our stories can speak to each other in both small and profound ways. Most of our days are spent focusing on how we can serve ourselves, not how we might be able to impact others. Madeleine reminds the audience that every day, every moment is a chance to bring joy and meaning to someone else if one can take a step past the puddle that is potential embarrassment or discomfort. Once people take this leap, extraordinary things can happen in relationships with dear friends and strangers alike.

Driving Madeleine is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Cohen Media Group. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qbKuP8H-hs]