VOD film review: My Donkey, My Lover & I
Review Overview
Women
6Men
5Donkeys
7David Farnor | On 06, Mar 2021
Director: Caroline Vignal
Cast: Laure Calamy, Benjamin Lavernhe, Olivia Côte
Certificate: TBC
Watch My Donkey, My Lover & I online in the UK: Curzon Home Cinema / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / Rakuten TV / Google Play / Sky Store
Fans of Call My Agent! on Netflix will do well to add this likeable comedy to their watchlists. The film follows Antoinette (Laure Calamy – known to TV viewers as Noémie Leclerc), a school teacher who is having an affair with Vladimir (Benjamin Lavernhe), the father of one of her pupils. But when her plan for a romantic trip with Vladimir is upended by his wife’s decision to take his family away for a group getaway in the mountains, Antoinette decides to do the only rational thing: follow them.
That, inevitably, is where the donkey comes into play, and the film’s decision to combine human-animal bonding alongside the usual rom-com beats is far more rewarding than the quirky title might suggest. Inappropriately dressed for her 20km hike and struggling to work out how to work with her steed to cover the distance, there’s a welcome touch of Bridget Jones to the painful optimism and awkward reality – and yet there’s also a lightness of touch, not only in the humour but in the way that the movie ultimately addresses the matter of infidelity.
The result is a sweet afternoon voyage through beautiful scenery, hosted by Calamy’s endearing protagonist, who blends comic timing and a knack for slapstick with a commendably flawed personality – we first meet her as she’s getting dressed into a glamorous dress halfway through a primary school lesson. “Is it too much?” she asks the clueless kids. Over the course of 90 minutes, this dainty comedy is never in risk of offering too much of anything, but in that easygoing entertainment lies its charm – this is a film that realises that a friendship with a donkey can be more rewarding than a relationship with a man. Saddle up and enjoy the ride.