When the Sea Rises

Irene is on tour with her one-woman-show "Sale Affaire" in the north of France. When she runs into Dries, who carries giants in fairs, it's the beginning of a love story that bears an uncanny resemblance to the show performed by Irene on stage.

AMG Plot: When the Sea Rises... is the first film written and directed by actress Yolande Moreau (who also stars in the film) and cinematographer Gilles Porte (who also shot the film). Moreau stars as Irène, who is traveling the north of France performing her one-woman show. In the stage show, Irène plays a loud, obese, ugly (she wears a clownish mask) woman who comically confesses murder to the audience. At each performance, she pulls a random man out of the crowd and makes him her accomplice/lover in a mock robbery. One day on the road, Irène's car breaks down, and Dries (Wim Willaert) happens by on his scooter and rescues her. She gratefully gives him tickets to that night's performance. Spotting him with his friends in the audience, she pulls him up on stage, making him her "chicken" for that show. After the show, Dries and his friends invite her out for a drink. The next night, Dries shows up in the audience again, but gets thrown out when he gets into an argument with some rude latecomers. Irène catches him in her dressing room after the show, and gives him hell. But outside, she sees he's been in a fight and had his tires slashed, so she gives him a ride home. Dries is also a performer of sorts, building and operating giant costumes for parades throughout the region. Irène has a husband and child waiting for her back home, but she's caught off guard by Dries' attentions. When she leaves town, he impulsively follows, and the two fall into an unlikely romance. When the Sea Rises... was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center as part of their 2005 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. — Josh Ralske

AMG Review: Yolande Moreau and Gilles Porte's When the Sea Rises... is a droll, leisurely foray into the north of France near the border with Belgium. It's a sweet-natured and enjoyable lark, anchored by the two strong, naturalistic performances (Moreau as Irène and Wim Willaert as Dries) at its center. The filmmakers are confident enough to let their story unfold slowly. At first, Dries seems mysterious and disreputable enough to conceivably be threatening, but before long, we realize he's just a gruff and impulsive dreamer, and it seems perfectly believable that he's drawn to Irène, who seems to lead the kind of freewheeling, creatively driven life that he'd like to. Note the way he impulsively tries on her mask when he sneaks into her dressing room and the incredulous way his friend asks Irène, "You actually make a living from clowning?" Irène, meanwhile, is used to the solitude of the road and notably unused to strangers being romantically interested in her. These are interesting and likable characters, and attractive people in their own way, which is to say not the typical Hollywood romantic comedy way. Irène's surprising timidity when she's not on stage is nicely complimented by Dries's neediness, and her stage show farcically parallels their impossible romance, a fact which is not lost on either character. The title seems to foreshadow the inevitability of their parting, and the film ends on a predictably bittersweet note. It's lightweight and rather forgettable but laudable for its honest, respectful treatment of its characters. — Josh Ralske