‘Western’ Maps the Heart’s Rugged, Lonely Landscape

The title of Manuel Poirier’s warm and glowing “Western” has nothing to do with the American frontier but refers instead to the ruggedly beautiful west coast of Brittany. What’s more, the terrain it covers is not geographic but that of the human heart. Winner of the grand prize at Cannes last year among other key awards, “Western” is a delightfully subtle and perceptive blend of romantic comedy and road movie.

Paco (Sergi Lopez), a shoe salesman born in Catalonia, is driving toward the port town of Le Guilvenec when he stops to give a pretty hitchhiker a lift--only to have her replace herself swiftly with a slight, wistful-looking man, Nino (Sacha Bourdo), who she explains has been trying to thumb a ride for more than two hours without success.

In very short order, Paco has his life turned upside down. Nino gets Paco to make a stop--and drives off with his car, which is loaded with shoes. Paco is sitting by the road in a daze when Marinette (Elisabeth Vitali) stops to fix a loose license plate, and he shamefacedly asks her for a ride into town.

The upshot is that Paco loses his job but commences an affair with the lovely Marinette. But no sooner has an idyll begun for Paco than Marinette insists that they take a three-week breather from their relationship to discover how seriously they feel about each other. Meanwhile, Paco has spotted Nino, and after a couple of plot twists, the two end up friends. Nino, a Russian emigre, persuades Paco to hit the road with him during that three-week break.

So sure is Poirier’s sense of humor and pathos that all this elaborate but swiftly unfolding plotting becomes an amusing comment on the workings of fate and human nature. At this point, the film shifts gears as it covers Paco and Nino’s aimless rambling over the countryside. Nino, it turns out, has been drifting in this manner for the two years since the Frenchwoman--whom he met in Russia and came to France to marry--stood him up.

Although they instinctively seek contact with as many people as they can, what Paco and Nino are really looking for is love. The need for people, men in this instance, to find someone to love in order to anchor their lives, is what “Western” is all about.

That both men are foreigners inherently heightens their sense of isolation. Yet “Western” doesn’t attack the French--or Bretons in particular--for being insular. To the contrary, most everyone the two meet are friendly and helpful. The dark, stocky, boyish-looking Lopez and the diminutive Bourdo are immensely likable guys, and their adventures are matters of both humor and pain.

American audiences, so conditioned to a fast clip, may find the film’s leisurely paced 123 minutes a bit taxing. But so consistently fresh is Poirier’s take that it’s worth it to sit back and go with the flow.

* Unrated. Times guidelines: It includes some lovemaking, one scene of violence.

‘Western’

Sergi Lopez: Paco

Sacha Bourdo: Nino

Elisabeth Vitali: Marinette

Marie Matheron: Nathalie

A New Yorker Films release of a Salome SA/Diaphana co-production with the participation of Canal Plus, CNC. Director Manuel Poirier. Producer Maurice Bernart, Michel Saint-Jean. Screenplay by Poirier, Jean-Francois Goyet. Cinematographer Nara Keo Kosal. Editor Yann Dedet. Costumes Karen Perry. Music Bernardo Sandoval. Production design Roland Mabille. Running time: 2 hours, 3 minutes.

* Exclusively at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 478-6379.