18 Dec 2019
Director: Dany Boon
France
2008
106 min
Philippe Abrams is a post office director in Salon-de-Provence. His wife, Julie, makes his life unbearable and, in order to please her, Philippe tries to arrange a transfer to the Côte d’Azur. However, his plan backfires and he is transferred to a small town in the North. For the prejudiced Abrams family, the North is an awful, cold region inhabited by uncivilised people who speak an incomprehensible language. Philippe moves there alone and, to his great surprise, he discovers a charming place with welcoming people. He befriends Antoine, the village postman and bell ringer with a possessive mother and, when Philippe returns to Salon, Julie thinks he is lying about his pleasant life in the North! With an ingenious script, sharp comic timing and assured direction, Welcome to the Sticks is a clever observation of cultural differences in France.
Hamburg Film Festival 2008 – Dany Boon – Winner of the Audience Award