OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto Int'l Film Festival; Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival
Rediscover the power of the kindness of strangers in this heart-warming film about a seemingly simple taxi ride across Paris.
When taxi driver, Charles (Dany Boon) reluctantly takes on an early-morning booking, he begins to regret his decision even more so when a cantankerous old woman, Madeleine (Line Renaud, Call My Agent!) is waiting begrudgingly at the pickup point. Despite his own personal grievances, Charles begins to realize that his problems are nowhere near as hard-pressing as his clients. At the age of 92, she must bow to the pressure of family and doctors, waiting to be forced into an assisted living facility. With a day at her disposal, Madeleine intends to drag it out for as long as possible, indulging in her final hours of freedom.
As the journey unfolds, so does the story of Madeleine’s long and eventful life – guiding the audience through her most monumental experiences, from romance to earth-shattering heartbreak. Described by Renaud, as “the most beautiful film of my life,” at 94 the Grande Dame of French entertainment is luminous in her role as Madeleine, delivering a sharp and deeply sincere performance in a retelling of a life truly well lived. In Driving Madeleine, watch the duo’s staggering chemistry, as the power of friendship is brought to life on screen. Driving Madeleine reminds us that inside every seemingly benign elderly woman we might pass on the street is a warrior, a nurturer, and a spirited adventurer.