A very beautiful idea has just sprouted in the mind of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of the legendary Fabulous destiny of Amélie Poulain… He will adapt Change the flower water. The best-seller by author Valérie Perrin, released in 2018, has sold more than 850,000 copies. To play the heroine, the 71-year-old filmmaker decided to rely on actress Leïla Bekhti.
“Our universes are extremely close”
For those who haven’t read Change the water of the flowers, the novel by Valérie Perrin, the wife of Claude Lelouch, tells the story of a cemetery guardian, Violette Toussaint, who welcomes visitors to her lodge in order to exchange moments of life. Then one day, a couple confesses to him that they will rest together. It is then that Violette’s life changes. “Our universes are extremely close [avec Jean-Pierre Jeunet]recognizes Valérie Perrin in an interview given to Paris Match. ”A Long Engagement Sunday” greatly influenced me in my work, particularly for my first novel, ”Les Oubliées du Dimanche”. »
“We’re going to get the emotion”
To play the role of Violette, Jean-Pierre Jeunet did not call on Audrey Tautou, his heroine in Amélie Poulainbut to Leïla Bekhti. The 40-year-old actress did not hide her pleasure at the idea of filming under the orders of the successful director.
-« Il [Jean-Pierre Jeunet] made me dream, recognize Paris Match the one who won the César for Most Promising Actress in 2011 for ”All That Shines”. I love these directors who leave a mark on the audience. And he left me a lot. In this film, we’re going to look for emotion like in ”A Long Engagement Sunday”. His characters are poetic, even to the point of a certain madness, they are larger than life and at the same time, they bring us back to life. » A promising role for the one who shone, in 2023, in The New Womanby Léa Todorov.
A break with “Amélie Poulain”
However, fans of the Jeunet style should be warned: Change the flower water will not have much to do with The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulainreleased in 2001. “For this film [dont le tournage devrait commencer en mai]there will be no Amélie fantasy, no shot of a beating heart, because that would be too much. » With this adaptation, Jean-Pierre Jeunet will be particularly keen to turn the page on his last failure, Big Bugin 2022 and find a fabulous destiny in cinemas.
