The Tree, the Mayor and the Mediatheque

Eric Rohmer's needle-sharp satire of a mayor whose plans to build a provincial arts centre are scuppered by a local teacher.

This gentle but needle-sharp satire tells of a liberal aristocratic mayor who wants to improve his village by building an arts centre - whereupon a teacher (Farbice Luchini in top form) objects that his view will be ruined by the loss of a tree. Touching on many of Rohmer's favourite topics (archaeology, ecology, culture, ethics), the film is funny, relevant and blessed with a lovely finale.