Le chignon d’Olga

Le chignon d’Olga (‘Olga’s bun’) is a very intelligent ensemble film, made with great psychological insight, reminiscent in its matter-of-fact nature and subtlety of the films of Eric Rohmer. Hubert Benhamdine shines as the father of a closely knit, young family that becomes totally dislocated by the death of the mother. Le chignon d’Olga shows how the members of the family all cope in very different ways with this tragedy and go looking for a new balance in their lives. For the children, this process coincides with growing up. The youngest son, still a child, is confused and insecure; the working daughter takes on several of her mother’s responsibilities, alongside her own worries about growing up and sex; and the charming father, adrift and tormented by memories, sets out uncertainly looking for new relationships.Within the French film tradition, Le chignon d’Olga is far removed from the hip chic from Paris. This film is not important for any radical standpoints or innovative form, but for revealing mechanisms in love relationships and within families, for its insight into the emotions and its meticulous sketch of an environment, in this case a small town.