La fleur d'oranger: A stressful French farce

Is it worth the watch?

If you have a high tolerance for people whispering in hallways and men with very stiff collars losing their tempers, you might actually enjoy La fleur d'oranger. It’s not for everyone, especially if you prefer movies that breathe. If you hate theatrical, stage-y comedies where everyone is always just one door-slam away from total collapse, steer clear.

It’s a classic case of "let’s keep a secret that would be solved in five seconds if anyone just spoke like a normal human." Still, there’s a certain charm to the chaos. It’s not as sharp as some of the stuff you'd see in The Big Broadcast, but it gets the job done if you’re bored on a rainy Tuesday.

The Tyrant at the Table

M. de Méricourt is played with such exhausting intensity that I found myself wanting to hide under my desk. He’s the kind of character who ruins every meal he sits down to. He treats his own living room like a courtroom. It’s almost impressive how quickly he makes the audience uncomfortable.

René’s fear of him feels almost physical. You see it in his shoulders. Every time he walks into a frame, he looks like he’s expecting to be slapped. It makes the secret marriage plot feel weirdly high-stakes, even though it’s just silly farce.

Oddly Specific Notes

• The sound design is… loud. Like, really loud. Every footstep echoes like a gunshot.
• I’m pretty sure one of the extras in the background of the study scene is just staring directly into the lens for a solid ten seconds.
• The lighting choices are aggressive. Why is the judge’s desk so bright? It looks like an interrogation light.
• The way they handle doors is an art form. It’s all about the timing of the latch clicking.

There’s a moment near the middle where a letter gets misplaced, and the sheer amount of sweating that follows is kind of wild. You don’t see actors sweat that much in modern movies anymore. It makes the panic feel authentic, even if the situation is totally ridiculous.

It’s not as tight as The Eleventh Commandment, but it doesn't try to be. It’s messy. Sometimes the actors trip over their own lines, or the camera pans just a second too late. I liked that. It felt human, you know? Like they were just trying to get through the scene before lunch.

If you’re looking for a profound cinematic experience, keep looking. But if you want to watch a guy get progressively more purple in the face while his son hides a wife in the attic? This is your movie. 🍊