Everybody loves Éric Rohmer – or at least everyone who has an appreciation for the simple things in life and how it is reflected in art. Throughout his prolific career (which stretched from the earliest days of the French New Wave, to the middle of the contemporary era). One of the most important French directors to ever work in the medium, both in the volume of his work and the quality, Rohmer captivated audiences for half a century, and brought so much joy to them through his stories, which are always unabashedly human and thoroughly authentic. As is the case with any prolific filmmaker, there are a few choices for his best work – and personally, while I have an immense appreciation for his revolutionary My Night at Maud’s, or his elegant quartet of films collectively known as the Tales of the Four Seasons, the one that stands out more than any of the others is Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (French: Quatre aventures de Reinette et Mirabelle), his anthology that follows two wonderfully quirky young women and their various misadventures through France over the course of a few weeks. Divided into four neat chapters, each one self-contained as a wonderfully endearing little story that is tied together by the director’s signature humour, pathos and genuine appreciation of the human comedy, the film is an absolute delight, filled to the brim with a joie de vivre that reminds us of how truly special a filmmaker he was, and how he was someone who could represent reality in an extraordinarily simple, but still effortlessly captivating, manner – and of the many reasons he is celebrated as a pioneer of his movement, perhaps its Rohmer’s perpetual dedication to reflecting life in his work that made him such a profoundly gifted and important cinematic figure, as represented in this stunning, heartwarming comedy that isn’t afraid to take a few risks.

Purely on a structural level, Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle doesn’t appear to be much. It’s one of the rare instances where the title of the film entirely describes what the viewer is about to see – so it does require either a viewer has some knowledge of Rohmer and how he operates in terms of very simple, humane stories that unfurl organically and without much fanfare, or the willingness to follow along, surrendering to this quaint charms without become dubious. The opening few moments of the film are a litmus test for the entire piece as a whole – abstract and vaguely surreal, it may be considered too slight if we don’t take into account the very clear indications that there is something deeper here. These establishing scenes are absolutely essential in building up the story and introducing us to these characters, and as we’ve seen in films that focus on the adventures of two friends (such as works by some of Rohmer’s peers, like Agnès Varda One Sings, the Other Doesn’t and Jacques Rivette’s Céline and Julie Go Boating, two absolute classics that undoubtedly served as some inspiration to this one), having charismatic characters is more than essential in a film that tracks them, both as individuals and as a duo. Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle may focus on them more independently, with most of the plot being driven by Reinette, and Mirabelle serving as a voice or reason or complement to her mischief, but their work across from each other breathes life into these characters and finds the humanity common within them, even if it means sacrificing some of the logic, especially in those early moments, which are enchantingly bizarre, in the best way possible.

The aspects that make Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle may seem like they come easy to the director, but as we’ve seen many times in Rohmer’s films, there is a lot of work that goes into representing life with such incredible simplicity. Only someone who had as firm a grasp on the human condition could have possibly made something where an entire segment focuses on a pernickety waiter accusing one of the protagonists of being cheap, and still have it come across as thrilling and entertaining without playing to the rafters. Perhaps its the centrepiece story, that of the young women discussing the various small-time criminals and swindlers that one tends to come across in everyday life, that shows how complex this film actually was. It’s a masterful exploration of incredibly resonant issues, taken from the perspective of someone who had an implicit understanding of the ideas that informed this work. It’s not just upbeat hilarity for the sake of it – there’s a message underpinning it, and while his films may certainly be more descriptive than they are discursive, mostly choosing a path that relies on the simple beauties of everyday existence, there’s very little doubt that whatever impelled Rohmer to throw this film together and provide us with such a beautifully simple and quietly resilient piece that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking (daring to ask some enormous questions in-between moments of pure joy), it certainly worked out magnificently, as Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle is an absolute triumph, and a film that has certainly stood the test of time, for a number of reasons.

Rohmer is never compelled to do more than he has to do when it comes to telling stories his way – and in developing this project, essentially four vignettes connected only by the two main characters who recur throughout them, the director managed to weave together an astonishingly entertaining piece of filmmaking that takes a very peculiar tone, albeit one that isn’t at all as strange as it would appear. Watching a Rohmer film can sometimes feel as if the director is just holding a mirror up to society, not in the sense that he is hoping to expose some harrowing truths, but rather in showing the transcendent beauty that can be found in even the most banal moments. Contrary to what detractors may say, Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle isn’t just the story of two young women running through Paris aimlessly – there’s a clear intention here, one that doesn’t manifest fully until the film has progressed to the point where it becomes both surreal and unimpeachably realistic. Actions such as going to the supermarket, or visiting an art gallery, are repurposed as adventures, opportunities for the free-spirited protagonists to explore the world and assert their own abstract perception of it. Seeing the world through the eyes of Reinette and Mirabelle is a glorious experience. There’s something profoundly moving about works of art the prioritize the gaze of younger people, whose perspective is often more insightful in its youthful naivete than most others. Combining this tender love for life with a gentle humour that complements the touching message, rather than overtaking it, Rohmer produced something quite astounding in both in how it entertains the viewer, and gives us something warm and enduring as well.

Rohmer’s ability to show incredible restraint when the temptation to become broadly comedic is incredibly potent is just another reason to his brilliance – he can extract an endless stream of humour from the most unassuming situation, and never have it come across as overly silly or convoluted in any way, instead being sweetly sentimental and thoroughly authentic. Whether this is a result of his magnificent screenplay, or the two fascinating actresses who occupied the roles (both Joëlle Miquel and Jessica Forde are absolute revelations, taking Rohmer’s ambitious story and developing these characters into fully-formed individuals that don’t have a trace of inauthenticity embedded in them anywhere), Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle has such a distinct atmosphere that only continues to reveal itself as we venture into this joyful world Rohmer and his cohorts create for us. This is a true delight of a film – a diverting, hilariously entertaining film that never takes itself too seriously, but also never loses itself entirely to the potential madness that could’ve easily taken over the film. Everything is kept simple, elegant and meaningful, and there’s a sense of true tenderness that persists throughout the film. It may not be the peak of Rohmer’s career, but its one of his most enduring works, a sweet and sentimental realist comedy with a lot of intelligence and an equal amount of heart – and if that isn’t enough to convince you to the absolute genius of this film, then absolutely nothing else can prove it.