Our review of The Valley of Fools, a motionless odyssey full of panache

A man overboard… From the first minutes of Xavier Beauvois’ eleventh film The Valley of FoolsJean-Paul Rouve appears as an inconsolable widower, ready to cast off towards the abyss of an alcoholic depression.

The Finistère sky of November, soaked in rain, remains low and heavy. Jean-Paul moves the furniture in his house under the resigned eyes of his daughter Camille (played by the young Madeleine Beauvois, the director's own daughter). The hero sank into alcohol without even realizing it. He settles back in with his old father (Pierre Richard, with great precision, with his cap pulled down on his head and his beard like a fragile old sea dog).

In La Forêt-Fouesnant, his restaurant, called Les Quarantièmes roarissants, no longer attracts many people. He got angry with his big son. In short, Jean-Paul hits rock bottom. The kick that could bring him to the surface will be surprising. Feeling pressured to make the only reasonable decision…