“My Donkey, My Lover & I” is yet another story about a woman who ventures into the wild and finds herself. But to the credit of writer and director Caroline Vignal, this low-key romantic French comedy is more playful and quirky than its reliance on this trope of feminist empowerment would suggest.
First, there is a donkey who is a sort of life coach, who roars every time a particularly poisonous man comes near.
Laure Calamy, from the ‘Call My Agent!’ series, plays Antoinette, a reckless and hopelessly romantic schoolteacher, whom we see for the first time leading her students in a strangely engaged group performance. They sing a love ballad and, unbeknownst to the children and (most) onlookers, the song also acts as a secret serenade for Antoinette’s lover, Vladimir (Benjamin Lavernhe), the married father of one of her students.
Too bad that Vlad, the family man, has to cancel the planned retreat of lovers when his wife supposedly drags him on a week-long hike through the National Park of the Cevennes. Antoinette responds by chasing after him and embarking on the same arduous trek in the hopes of ‘tripping’ her husband – regardless of her inexperience with hiking or her preference for heels.
Like Vladimir, Antoinette hires a donkey, Patrick, whose name you will not forget – our heroine screams about a hundred times. Although Patrick initially refuses to walk, he appears to be an excellent listener and judge of character.
Delusional go-ga, but also girlishly naive and sympathetic thanks to Calamy’s grounded demeanor, Antoinette encounters different kinds of people on her journey – angry moralists, walking know-it-alls, bored checkpoint employees who encourage her silliness – and she eventually manages to land a real part in the story. hay with Vlad.
The film—and its blindly determined heroine—has more in common with “Legally Blonde” than anything like “Wild,” though the clear, beautifully craggy scenery and meandering rhythm create an overall more laid-back tone. Despite Vignal’s intentions, it makes the drama feel less effective—much like the bouts of physical comedy. Doesn’t matter, sometimes just pleasant travel has its charms.
My donkey, my lover & me
Not judged. In French, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. In theatres.
