| The Girl from Paris | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Christian Carion |
| Producer: | Christophe Rossignon |
| Starring: | Michel Serrault Mathilde Seigner |
| Music: | Philippe Rombi |
| Cinematography: | Antoine Héberlé |
| Editing: | Andrea Sedlácková |
| Distributor: | Mars Distribution |
| Runtime: | 103 minutes |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French |
| Budget: | $4.5 million[1] |
| Gross: | $12.6 million[2] |
The Girl from Paris (French: Une hirondelle a fait le printemps) is a 2001 French film directed by Christian Carion.
Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner) gets tired of her life as an IT instructor in Paris and decides to leave her work and dedicate her life to agriculture. She first goes to college where she earns her BTS in two years, undertaking internships along the way. She then wishes to buy an isolated farm in the Vercors from an old farmer called Adrien (Michel Serrault) who wishes to retire.
Sandrine brings a new approach to the farming enterprise incorporating her internet knowledgeability: she converts an unused cow barn into a bed and breakfast, invites busloads of school children in for day tours, and sells her goat cheese over the Internet. Over time Sandrine and Adrien navigate their way from prickly separatism to mutual respect and warmth. The film ends with a shot of her leading her goats along the usual route, suggesting she has successfully addressed all those initial challenges.
A.O. Scott reacts positively, stating 'As Adrien reveals the tragedies and setbacks he has suffered in his struggle to remain on the land, a wider social background comes into view, and you, along with Sandrine, come to a profound and remarkably unsentimental appreciation of country life.' [3]