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Jean-Pierre Jeunet is back with Changer l’eau des fleurs, featuring Leïla Bekhti. The first teaser truly makes us want to believe.

There was a time when loving Jean-Pierre Jeunet was simple. After his glorious period alongside Marc Caro, which yielded several striking short films like Le Manège, Le Bunker de la dernière rafale, and Foutaises, followed by the incredible Delicatessen in 1991 and La Cité des enfants perdus in 1995, there was also Alien, la résurrection in 1997, a film we will defend for as long as necessary.

Then came the wild anomaly that was Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain in 2001, which cemented his international acclaim. This immense success allowed him to follow up with Un long dimanche de fiançailles in 2004, and since then... it's been complicated. On the French side: Micmacs à tire-larigot in 2009, with Dany Boon. On the American side: L’Extravagant voyage du jeune et prodigieux T.S. Spivet in 2013, knowing he had at one point worked on Life of Pi before abandoning the project. And finally, the abysmal Big Bug, released in 2022 on Netflix, which confirmed the worst fears.

Nevertheless, hope springs eternal with the enchanting teaser for his new film, Changer l’eau des fleurs.

BigBug : photo, François Levantal Big Yuck

A Whiff of Promise

Jean-Pierre Jeunet takes on Valérie Perrin's novel Changer l’eau des fleurs, published in 2018. The story follows Violette (Leïla Bekhti), a cemetery keeper in a small Burgundy town, who lives her life to the rhythm of visitors and their confidences in her lodge. Until one day, a police officer (Melvil Poupaud) arrives to place his mother's ashes on the tomb of the man she loved. Intriguing by Violette's story, whose husband (Matthias Schoenaerts) mysteriously disappeared, he decides to help her investigate.

On paper, it doesn't sound very much like a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film. But the teaser, set to the tune of Quand on n’a que l’amour, suggests otherwise: atypical accessories, investigative elements, spectacular wide shots, dancing characters, a fairytale-like atmosphere... If we want to believe, there are enough elements here to recognize the Jeunet we love.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet co-wrote the adaptation of the book with his loyal collaborator Guillaume Laurant, co-screenwriter of Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, Un long dimanche de fiançailles, Micmacs à tire-larigot, L’Extravagant voyage du jeune et prodigieux T. S. Spivet, and Big Bug. Among other regulars, costume designer Madeline Fontaine, production designer Aline Bonetto, and editor Hervé Schneid have also been accompanying the filmmaker for years. Another notable name in the credits: electro artist Saycet is handling the soundtrack.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet has secured a respectable budget for the occasion, around 21 million euros. For comparison: L’Extravagant voyage du jeune et prodigieux T. S. Spivet (27 million in 2013), Micmacs à tire-larigot (27 million in 2009), Un long dimanche de fiançailles (45 million in 2004).

L'Extravagant Voyage du jeune et prodigieux T. S. Spivet : photo, Dominique Pinon Dominique Pinon will obviously be part of it

Changer l’eau des fleurs will be released in cinemas on December 9, one week before the start of an intense period with the arrival of Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three on December 16, followed by Jumanji: Welcome to Our World the following week.

It remains to be seen if the public will turn out for Jeunet's return to cinema, as since Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (8.6 million admissions in 2001) and Un long dimanche de fiançailles (4.4 million in 2004), Micmacs à tire-larigot (1.2 million in 2009) and L’Extravagant voyage du jeune et prodigieux T. S. Spivet (less than 700,000) have not truly drawn crowds.