The Sweet Escape

Michel has loved planes all his life, dreaming of life as an aviator. One day a photograph stops him dead in his tracks. Kayaks – they look just like planes, without the wings. Seized by a sudden impulse, Michel orders the whole package online: kayak, paddles and everything else he might need for an expedition. His wife Rachelle encourages him to set out alone on his escapade, even if he’s never rowed a boat in his life.

After an unexpected detour at a riverside bar, Michel becomes enamoured with its charming proprietor, played by Angès Jaoui, the bar’s heartbroken waitress and the absinth-sipping employees that work there. After a night in their company Michel finds it very hard to head back on the kayak. The Sweet Escape is a charming story of one man’s attempts to find himself and all the other things he might find on the way, including love in the strangest places.

Title: The Sweet Escape
Original title: Comme un Avion
Director: Bruno Podalydès
Country: France
Language: French
Running time: 105 min
Year: 2015
Cast: Bruno Podalydès, Sandrine Kiberlain, Agnès Jaoui, Vimala Pons