Spoken in French with English subtitles, the film begins by describing a woman whose feet aren't ordinary. As such, she can't be expected to go ordinary places. Here, I begin to understand the theme of Wild Grass. The film itself will not be taking me anywhere I've been before, but is sure to make for an enjoyable journey.
The story gets going once the woman, Marguerite Muir, has her purse stolen only to have her wallet recovered by a man, Georges Palet. He returns the item to the police but lingers on, wanting to contact Miss Muir himself. The relationship between this victim and this hero becomes the central focus of Wild Grass.
The title of the film fits so well with what's going on. As wild grass cannot be contained and has uncontrolled effects on the things around it, it personifies the very traits of our lead characters, Miss Muir and Mr. Palet. For instance, although Mr. Palet is married, this does not stop Miss Muir from calling and on several occasions chatting comfortably with his wife. Mr. Palet, on the other hand, oddly states he's disappointed with Miss Muir for calling only to thank him for the return of her wallet.
Don't get me wrong, this story is not about an average affair or the meaning of love. It stretches past both, asking the audience to go along with the characters while questioning how far you would go to make a connection with a stranger. This is why Wild Grass had me guessing until the last scene, which both helped the film as well as gave it the feeling that it would never end. At 104 minutes, it felt like a very long runtime.
Wild Grass was light-hearted and entertaining, but I was truly disappointed by the ending. It left me with a questionable feeling that I had not had up until that last moment.
After all that I had seen, it didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the story. In this case, that was not satisfying.
The acting was wonderfully simple, and I couldn't help but love the sights and sounds of this French film. It's certainly a great movie for that day when you're in the mood for some entertainment in the form of a foreign film. Wild Grass makes the trip worthwhile, even if it has you wondering after the credits roll.
