When the Sea Rises

2004 French-Belgian romantic comedy film

27 October 2004 (2004-10-27) (France)

Running time

90 minutesCountriesFrance
BelgiumLanguageFrenchBudget$1.5 millionBox office$1.4 million^[1]

When the Sea Rises (French: Quand la mer monte...) is a 2004 French-Belgian romantic comedy film directed by Yolande Moreau and Gilles Porte. It was Moreau's directorial debut.

Plot

Irène is an actress who performs her one-person show all over northern France. One day she is heading for a new town when her car breaks down. In the countryside she is picked up by a travelling stranger who rides a Scooter. He introduces himself as Dries and gives her a lift. She rewards him with a ticket for her show. When he arrives there she involves him in her performance. The next evening he returns and feels he must protect her against perturbators in the audience. She doesn't appreciate the way he tries to take care of this matter. They have a considerable dispute which eventually ends in a reconciliation. This marks the beginning of a love affair.

Cast

Yolande Moreau as Irène
Wim Willaert as Dries
Olivier Gourmet as The cop
Jackie Berroyer as Béthune
Philippe Duquesne as Café's owner
Jacques Bonnaffé as The server
Séverine Caneele as The maid
Bouli Lanners as The market's owner
Jan Hammenecker as Jan
Vincent Mahieu as Yves
Nand Buyl as Dries's father
Emmy Leemans as Dries's mother
Jean-François Picotin as Fifi
François Morel as TV Host

Critical reception

The film received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 90% of 20 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 6.5 out of 10.^[2] Metacritic gave the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on eight critics.^[3]

Background

The film title is an homage to the French folk singer Raoul de Godewaersvelde whose song "Quand la mer monte" is a re-occurring theme throughout the film.^[4]

Awards

César Award for Best Debut (Yolande Moreau and Gilles Porte)
César Award for Best Actress (Yolande Moreau)
Louis Delluc Prize for Best First Film

References

^ "Quand la mer monte..." www.boxofficemojo.com.
^ "When the Sea Rises (Quand la Mer Monte...)".
^ "When the Sea Rises".
^ "Named for a classic song which is the musical theme of the film ("When the Tide Comes In" by Raoul de Goederwaervelde)". Film Journal International. Retrieved 2012-12-16.