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Starring Garence Clavel. Besides Au Bon Pain and "je curs a vous", which I learned from The Last of the Mohicans means "I spit upon you", il est bon, translation: it is good, is the extent of what I remember from approximately eighteen semesters of high school French.Fortunately, il est bon works well here. When the Cat's Away, a product of the French movie scene, is the first subtitled film I have knowingly and willingly sat through. And, like finding out I enjoyed eating brussell sprouts in the third grade, I begrudgingly have to admit that I really enjoyed this experience as well. I first heard about When the Cat's Away in the summer of '97 when it was released. The film was well received and viewed as an antidote to big movies like Con Air, or other pictures where large planes run out of gas over the downtown areas of major metropolitan cities like Las Vegas. And it is just that; a film that is as small and unassuming as Bruckheimer productions are explosive and gargantuan. When the Cat's Away is the story of a Parisian make-up artist, portrayed by Garance Clavel. Upon returning from a week's vacation, Clavel finds her beloved cat, Gris-Gris, has escaped from his caretaker. Torn by her pets' absence, Clavel journeys into new parts of her own neighborhood that she had neither reason or time to see previously. She meets new people, frequents new restaurants and bars, and, as a whole, starts to live her life a little more fully. This tale unwinds rather slowly, which near the beginning can seem trying, for generally moves fluidly. The acting performances are solid, and the direction, by Cedric Klapisch, captivatingly different. We are frequently given scenes no longer than three or four seconds. We will see Clavel at the Laundromat or at the beach, and Klapisch will quickly return us to the foreground action in the script. This style allows us to understand exactly what Clavel has been doing, and where she has been, without spending a great deal of time to explain it; a refreshing change of pace to say the least. This is a humorous and entertaining look at how a simple act such as losing one's cat can actually improve your life. If you're sick and tired of big budget action films--that is, if it's possible to become sick and tired of big budget action films--and other overplayed genres, When the Cat's Away is a pleasant divergence from them. Most importantly though, this is one popular French film that stars neither Gerard Depardieu or Jerry Lewis.
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