Driving Madeleine

Directed by Christian Carion
Theatrical Release Date Coming Soon
Run Time 91 min

A seemingly simple taxi ride across Paris evolves into a profound meditation on the realities of the driver, whose personal life is in shambles, and his fare, an elderly woman whose warmth belies her shocking past. Charles (Dany Boon) is a taxi driver in Paris, and he is having a very bad day. Some pressing personal debts are due, he’s in danger of losing his driver’s license to numerous traffic infractions, and his marriage, like Charles himself, is strained to the point of snapping. A quick fare in the suburbs seems like an easy distraction. Enter Madeleine (Line Renaud), an immaculately groomed 92-year-old woman, who informs Charles that the trip today will not be a direct one. She is moving into a care home and would like to make some stops along the way, predicting that this might be her last car ride through the city. Initially exasperated and grumbling, Charles is slowly lured in by her warm charm and directness, fascinated by the stories she wants to tell. Their ride takes them through the momentous locations of her life and we discover that she has had a shocking and very dramatic journey indeed. Their short friendship is sure to have a lasting impact as Madeleine listens to Charles confess his own worries, all of which she absorbs with candor and clarifying humor. Boon, an actor best known for his comedic work, creates a dramatic portrait of a frustrated man facing a personal crisis of epic proportions. His darker, sharper edges allow Renaud (renowned for decades in France as a singer) to shine as the pure shimmering light that is Madeleine. She reminds us that inside every seemingly benign elderly woman we might pass on the street is a warrior, a nurturer, and a spirited adventurer.

Name Role
Christian Carion Director
Line Renaud Madeleine
Dany Boon Charles
Alice Isaaz Mado
Jérémie Laheurte Ray
Gwendoline Hamon Denise
Julie Delarme Karine
Country France
Languages French
Subtitles Yes
Run time 91 min
Film Festivals Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival; Official Selection, Palm Springs International Film Festival
Press Notes

Theatrical Playdates

or
Venue City Opens Tickets
Bethesda Row Cinema Bethesda January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Circle Cinema Tulsa January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Crest Cinema Center Shoreline January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Esquire Theatre Denver January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Hillcrest Cinemas San Diego January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Kew Gardens Cinemas 6 Kew Gardens January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Lagoon Cinema Minneapolis January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Landmark Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena January 12, 2024 Coming Soon
Landmark Theaters Sunset West Hollywood January 12, 2024 Coming Soon
Landmark's Century Centre Cinema Chicago January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Landmark's E Street Cinema Washington January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Landmark's Kendall Square Cinema Cambridge January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Landmark's Keystone Art Cinema 7 Indianapolis January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Landmark's Ritz 5 Philadelphia January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Landmark's Spectrum 8 Albany January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Living Room 6 Portland January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Mamaroneck Cinemas Mamaroneck January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Mariemont 4 Cincinnati January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Mary D. Fisher Theatre Sedona March 08, 2024 Coming Soon
Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Lincoln January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Midtown Art Cinemas 8 Atlanta January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Fort Worth January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Movies of Delray 5 Delray Beach January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Movies of Lake Worth Lake Worth January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
New Plaza Cinema at West End Theatre New York January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
North Park Theatre Buffalo January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Opera Plaza Cinemas 4 San Francisco January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Orinda Theater Orinda January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Plaza Frontenac Cinema Frontenac January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Quad Cinemas 4 New York January 12, 2024 Coming Soon
Riviera Santa Barbara January 12, 2024 Coming Soon
Rodeo Cinema Oklahoma City January 26, 2024 Coming Soon
Shea 14 Theatre Scottsdale January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
The Flicks 4 Boise February 02, 2024 Coming Soon
The Landmark at Merrick Park Coral Gables January 19, 2024 Coming Soon
Yakima Cinema 10 Yakima January 26, 2024 Coming Soon