It’s the story of a father accused of murdering his daughter. “Michel Renard is the owner of the only café in a small Normandy town. One night, his beloved teenage daughter is found dead in front of his bar window. Everyone supports him, starting with Jeff, his best friend, the priest of the church across the street from the café. But soon, rumors rise and plague the village. From an ideal father, Michel becomes the ideal culprit”, relates the official summary of the film An ideal father. The role of Michel Renard is played by Laurent Gerra; that of the priest, by Eddy Mitchell.
Read also: REPORTING. This village in Normandy transformed into a fictional setting for the filming of a TV film
“It’s something to see your village on the big screen”
This small fictional Norman town is Heugon, on the borders of Orne and Eure. “It’s something to see your village on the big screen. From the first images of the film, we are immersed in it, it’s really moving! » enthuses Edith Leroy, mayor of the village. The TV film, directed by actress and director Hélène Fillières, was filmed in the fall of 2023 in the small town, mainly between the bar and the church. Between September and November 2023, the 258 inhabitants of the village lived to the rhythm of the filming of the feature film inspired by a 1991 news story.
“We had some wonderful times. It’s still a topic of conversation today and it brought people together a little, too, to participate in the filming together, says the mayor. When we watch a film, we don’t realize all the work that goes into it. Now, when I watch TV, I imagine how they made this or that plan! »
“We see the Heugon sign twice! »
A rare thing in television, the name of the village is not touched on the screen: “We see the Heugon sign twice! testifies the mayor, who has already seen the film twice. And in addition to the heart of the village, there is a scene filmed in our Douet Arthus chapel which is sublime. »
Beyond being able to see its heritage shine in prime time on national television, the village received remuneration: €27,000 for the combined municipality of La Ferté-en-Ouche. Not to mention the revenue linked to hosting teams and actors for a month and a half last year. Last cherry on the cake: residents were also able to preview the TV film at the end of June.
The bar Le Renard se marre will be reborn
The village bar, called Le Renard se marre, closed for several years, is one of the stars of the film. “We also created a set upstairs to recreate the boss’s apartment. It was a job that took several weeks. Pinball machines, table football, jukeboxes, we found the accessories in local shops,” explained Laurent Perrot, production director, at the time.
The café is due to reopen in April 2025 (a project launched before filming), and the next owners intend to keep the new decoration put in place by the film crew for the needs of the film.
To discover the bar, the church and everything else, you will have to turn on your set this Wednesday October 2, 2024, at 9:05 p.m., on France 2. The TV film will also be available in replay on the france.tv platform.
