Paco, a travelling shoe-salesman from Spain, picks up the hitchhiker Nino, a nondescript Russian immigrant, who immediately runs off with Paco’s car. The stranded Spaniard in turn gets a lift from Marinette, a local shop assistant. Paco is sacked for losing his car, but finds solace in the arms of Marinette and moves in with her. Then he meets Nino again, who has already got rid of the car. Paco is furious and gives Nino a beating that lands him in hospital. Strangely enough, this results in a beautiful friendship. When Marinette suggests to Paco that they take a three-week break from their relationship to judge the depths of their feelings, Paco and Nino set off together. The two new friends get on famously and win each other’s trust. There is only one cloud on the horizon: Paco has no trouble attracting women, while Nino never gets his girl. That makes him angry.Poirier’s Marion, screened last year in Holland, was a small-scale honest drama with great emotional depth. In his latest film, Poirier sketches a sensitive portrait of people who are rarely seen in French films: the lower middle classes living in small villages and the countryside. They face setbacks, but do not seem excessively put out. Poirier has a deep respect for his characters and shapes them with great affection and eye for detail.
