Driving Madeleine: An interview with Dany Boon

Directed by Christian Carion, Driving Madeleine is an emotive French drama film set against the backdrop of Paris. The narrative is centred on a taxi driver called Charles (Dany Boon) and an elderly passenger he picks up called Madeleine (Line Renaud) as they journey the breadth of the city culminating at her final destination: a nursing home where she plans to spend her remaining days.

The story is layered with touching emotional threads as the two become acquainted on their trip and start to share stories about their lives, stopping to pause at places that hold memories for her. The unique narrative brings to screen unexpected and brutal accounts of domestic violence, rape and damaged relationships but also garners a beautiful insight into the flowering friendship between these two different generations and the impact they end up having upon each other.

The Upcoming has the pleasure of speaking to Dany Boon about the treasured friendship he shares with Renaud having worked with her before, the many intricate and relatable themes that come to surface in the feature and the clever way the filming unfolded.

Ezelle Alblas

Driving Madeleine is released in select cinemas on 17^th November 2023.

Watch the trailer for Driving Madeleine here: