Though billed as a comedy, this is much more a genteel study of manners as two older men become reacquainted under Becker’s studied direction. There are no explosive car chases, no frantic sex scenes, nothing more provocative than watering tomatoes on a summers evening. And if that sounds like your idea of time well spent in a cinema, read on.

Two boys parted company at school after a particularly nasty incident involving a birthday cake. They meet again forty years later when one, Auteiul, a well-heeled artist from Paris, returns to his village. He’s taking over his late mother’s estate and hires his former friend (Darroussin) to tend the garden. Despite their divergent lives and opposing classes, the pair strike up a friendship based on curiosity as much as past affection. Auteiul (The Closet) is subtle and tender, Darroussin (Red Lights) rough yet not common - the pair are totally engaging, utterly convincing as mates who quickly become best mates. They share interests and troubles, a fondness for fishing and family, a love of women and of gossip. Even the sudden arrival of the painter’s latest girlfriend doesn’t shake their bond although the gardener’s illness, and his protective wife, might.

It’s their rich, natural performances that give the film its best scenes. There’s a compelling energy between the two that lingers whenever they’re apart, making their return to the garden even more enjoyable. They present a skilful two-hander that suggests Sideways with a  Provençal twist for its exploration of male-bonding. Or Butch Cassidy without the guns. Although the content of their conversations may be forgotten, it’s the tone, the way in which two men share so much because of their differences, that will be warmly remembered when the lights come up.

// COLIN FRASER