Cousin, Cousine DVD, 1975

There's a style of cinema that seems so thoroughly French that reason suggests it should fall flat when transported across borders. Yet these films – sophisticated comedies of bourgeois mores, relaxed about sexual shenanigans and tolerant of eccentricities – are reliable crowd-pullers throughout the world. Cousin, Cousine, which packed them into the art houses upon release in 1976, is a prime example.
It charts the adventures of an extended family as they gather for assorted birthdays, betrothals and bereavements. (Now there's a thought: a romantic comedy structured around weddings and funerals…) Cousins-by-marriage Ludovic and Marthe strike up an unconventional friendship that others mistake for an affair. Under the weight of those suspicions, the inevitable happens and an affair begins.
It's as substantial as a soufflé of course, and flintier viewers may be unpersuaded by its airy charms and worldly approach to domestic bliss. But even they cannot deny how well Tacchella controls the laid-back atmosphere. Consistently droll and never less than greatly amiable.

James Oliver on 21st May 2007
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