Waiting for Bojangles 2022 Movie Review

It’s not often that a French film comes along as moving as the romantic drama En Attendant Bojangles (2022), or “Waiting For Bojangles” in English, directed by Régis Roinsard. As a longtime fan of French movies and 1960s culture, I couldn’t wait to see this film.

This film was adapted from the French best-selling novel of the same name, written by first-time author Olivier Bourdeaut, and released in 2016. The book was an instant hit with the French, and I saw it recommended on several occasions since I moved to France in 2019.During my Christmas vacation this past December, I finally had the chance to read the book and quickly understood why so many people fell in love with the protagonists.

Set in Paris in 1967, En Attendant Bojangles tells the story of a French couple who personify the French joie de vivre and spend their lives telling stories, listening to music, reading books, dancing, and throwing fabulous parties for their friends.

Both Camille and Georges have wild imaginations, see sarcasm as a way of life, and regularly create extraordinary stories out of ordinary moments.

However, we quickly learn that the female protagonist Camille suffers from rapid mood swings, likely a mix of Emotional Dysregulation Disorder and Bipolar Disorder. This doesn’t stop her from living her life to the fullest – she wears fabulous clothing, dances elegantly, and reads voraciously.

“À côté d’elle, personne n’existe.” Camille’s insatiable appetite for life and overactive imagination are what draw Georges to fall in love with her immediately.

The family’s last name is even Fouquet. “Fou” is the French word for “crazy,” surely an intentional decision by the author. As Camille’s mental battles slowly worsen, Georges tries to do everything in his power to keep the family together.

The magic of this film is that Roinsard succeeds at oscillating the audience between laughter and tears. He induces us to experience life just like Camille with a rapid swing of emotions from joy to sadness, and back and forth again.

If there’s one thing that French films do so well, it’s blurring fantasy with reality for an adult audience. En Attendant Bojangles is a film on par with other French fanciful films like Amélie (2001) and Jeux d’Enfants (2003) which excel in creating an unbelievable universe that the audience can’t help but immerse themselves in. These films teeter on the edge of reality and imagination, without going overboard, so one can easily fall off the precipice of believing that what’s happening on screen could, in fact, happen in real life.

En Attendant Bojangles takes viewers on a wild romantic adventure while tackling tough mental health issues. It shows us that sometimes, love means sacrifice. En Attendant Bojangles encourages the audience to imagine a beautiful story, even when life is sad.