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Bonitzer’s New Maigret Opens in France With Denis Podalydès Leading a Lean, Modernized Take

The adaptation relocates Simenon’s tale to the early 2000s, framing an unruffled Maigret against a Paris on the cusp of the mobile age.

Overview

  • Maigret et le mort amoureux premiered in French cinemas on February 18, with Denis Podalydès as the inspector in Pascal Bonitzer’s 1h20 feature.
  • Drawn from Georges Simenon’s Maigret et les vieillards, the film is retitled and reset specifically to 2006, introducing email and early mobile phones to the milieu.
  • The investigation centers on the mysterious death of a former ambassador, using the case to observe a fading world of privilege.
  • Bonitzer emphasizes a pared‑back police procedural over Maigret’s private life, with Podalydès offering a restrained portrayal of the character as a steady constant.
  • Early reviews span sharp praise for dialogue and psychological acuity (Télérama) to critiques of a lightweight mystery and anachronistic feel (Libération, Le Monde), with co-stars including Anne Alvaro and Manuel Guillot noted.