Life isn’t always easy, and making ends meet can quickly become a daunting task for some. Patience Portefeux learned this the hard way. Translator and interpreter Arabic-French for Stups, she is also the mother of two daughters, widowed and takes care of her elderly mother. One day, listening to it will make him want to change his life to make ends meet. Isabelle Huppert lends her features to this fifties converted into a Sunday dealer, in the comedy by Jean-Paul Salomé (The Syndicalist). But where did he find the inspiration for this film? Sunday March 19 at 9:10 p.m., France 2 diffuse La Daronne. The perfect opportunity to come back to the genesis of this colorful project, which was not invented from scratch.
A four-handed scenario
“It’s a novel that I really liked, especially its tone, its mixture of comedy and thriller. Above all, I saw in it the possibility of a beautiful portrait of a woman, with the key to an interesting role for Isabella Huppert”explains Jean-Paul Salomé in the press kit for the film. To make his feature film, he drew ideas directly from the eponymous book by Hannelore Cayre. The former financial director, converted into a criminal lawyer then an author, published La Daronne in 2017. The multi-award-winning novel is the second work she has written to be adapted for film. The album Commis d’office (2004), master paintings (2005) et Ground XO (2007) was adapted in 2009 in Commis d’office with Roschdy Zem in the title role. “In the meantime, Marc Irmer, who produced Commis d’office, thought of me to adapt La Daronne. I received the book, which thrilled me. I met Hannelore. she tells me, they want to keep the police mechanics, erase the comedy. I tell her that it’s the balance between the genres that interests me, she seems happy about it. (…) With Hannelore, who wanted to participate in the adaptation, we therefore begin to write“says the director.
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“She invented the detective story from what she observed as a lawyer”
To transpose the incredible adventures of Patience Portefeux and her dog to the screen, choices had to be made. “The past of the character of Patience is further developed in the book: his childhood, his father’s dealings… (…) There were no elements of danger. We developed a double threat (…) But the script is rather faithful. Besides, Hannelore, probably out of weariness, because she had the impression of repeating herself, sometimes wanted to deviate from her novel”admits Jean-Paul Salomé. Then he reveals that the story, as far-fetched as it is, draws its source from the life of the author. “Without betraying any secrets, I think I can say that the personal history of Patience’s parents is a romanticized vision of her own parents”he confides. “She invented the detective story from what she observed as a criminal lawyer, having defended quite a few drug dealers. She knows the workings of the procedures, the dialogues… (…) During the hearings, she had noticed that for the North African community, it was often the same two or three interpreters who saw all the cases, including those related to terrorism. It was even a bit frightening: there is no counter-expertise, no one checks the translation of the taps”, he added. Hannelore Cayre’s professional experiences, as well as bits of her personality, were used to build this novel, then this film, which earned them a nomination for the César 2021 for Best Adaptation.
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