A French postman dedicates 33 years of his life to building his daughter a stone palace.
The Ideal Palace is a French-language film, directed by Nils Tavernier and starring Jacques Gamblin & Laetitia Casta. Whenever I see a foreign-language film, I always feel the need re-emphasise--to those that follow my reviews--that nothing is lost by watching a film with subtitles. In all reality, foreign films are more likely to bring something fresh to the big screen, than a big budget Hollywood title. I challenge you all to check out a foreign language film.
The sixteen-word synopsis above is a very accurate representation of the film. It comes with some other side stories but overall that summary is very apt. The simplicity of the story in The Ideal Palace is mirrored by the main protagonist Ferdinand Cheval (portrayed by Jacques Gamblin). Cheval is an uncomplicated man, with a personality that shows many of the traits of autism. His introverted behaviour, from his avoidance of social events to his daydreaming, concise & closed dialogue, and the comfort he gets from repetitive behaviour, come together with Gamblin's coy little smile to create a character that instantly gathers sympathy from the audience.
Cheval often comes across like a foreigner in his own country; able to observe, but ultimately struggling to be able to do so himself. Like a newly weaned puppy trying to navigate a flight of stairs for the first time, you just want to be able to assist. Cheval is, however, a force to be reckoned with, and has the determination to show convey his emotions in a way that only he can.
The Ideal Palace is, of course, a real place. In the small village of Hauterives, at the heart of the Drôme hills, and was constructed over the span of 33 years by Postman Cheval, who held no architectural knowledge at all. The palace was listed as a Historic Monument 50 years ago.
What appeals about this film, is the humility of it all. There is nothing extravagant in this story. We watch a man who struggles to show emotion and love in a physical way, devote himself to build a palace for his daughter, collecting rocks as he walks the 32km a day he does for his job as a postman. His commitment to his craft is awe-inspiring, especially with the obstacles that are brought by family life in poverty.
Tavernier does a great job directing the cast, ensuring that Gamblin's portrayal of Postman Cheval doesn't come across as emotionless, and capturing the steadfastness of the wife, Philomène Cheval (Laetitia Casta). The film balances the themes of obsession, love, and loss over this 33-year time span. The Ideal Palace goes against the trend of "turning everything up to 11". Instead, everything is much more modest, and makes the emotional twists and turns all the more effective.
As far as negatives for the film go, it does sometimes come across as inconsistent in its use of time skips, where some scenes feel like a week has passed but, in fact, 9 months have passed. There is some ageing work done to the hair of the cast, and the younger members of the cast do show the time passed quite well, but the children are not necessarily a consistent presence in the film. There is also the aspect where most scenes involving the palace itself are from quite close. Obviously, due to budgetary constraints, the decision would be made for close-ups as often as possible, but it failed to truly convey the scope and scale of the structure. I would give loved some more wide shots.
A moving story, albeit subtle. This simple story, located amongst some gorgeous scenery and cinematography, celebrates one man's commitment and devotion to completing his work.