THE MIDWIFE

Sage-homme

North American Premiere | France | 2023 | Comedy, Drama | 100 min | In French with English subtitles
Directed by: Jennifer Devoldère
Written by: Jennifer Devoldère, Cécile Sellam
Produced by: Antoine Gandaubert, Fabrice Goldstein, Antoine Rein (Karé Productions), France 2
Cinematography: Jean-François Hensgens
Film Editing: Virginie Bruant
Original Score: Dim Sum
Cast: Karin Viard (Nathalie), Melvin Boomer (Léopold), Steve Tientcheu (Jof), Tracy Gotoas (Fatou), Bruce Dombolo (Prince), Nadia Rose (Nejma)
International Sales: Other Angle Pictures

Failing to make the highly competitive cut to get into med school, 19-year-old Leopold — determined to reach his goal, by hook or by crook — chooses to enroll in the university’s midwifery program, the only path left open to him. Feeling ashamed and emasculated, he hides his “think-pink” reality from everyone around him… until the very miracle of life cracks the judgmental shell of the all-male working-class world he was raised in. A feminist hospital comedy and touching tale of transmission, the film is a moving tribute to a sadly overlooked profession, thanks to heart-felt performances and scintillating on-screen chemistry between charismatic breakdancer-turned-actor Melvin Boomer and the ever-accomplished Karin Viard, as his foil and (very sage) midwife mentor.

Writer/director Jennifer Devoldère made her début with two short films, Nous habitons tous une île déserte (1997) and Ming d’or (2006). She wrote and directed her first feature film, Every Jack Has a Jill, in 2009, which was followed by The Day I Saw Your Heart (2011). She also co-wrote Bruno Chiche’s Small World (2010) and Eric Barbier’s Zodi & Tehu, frères du désert (2023).