The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died

An impulsive midlife traveler leaves home and heads to France, hoping to connect with a world he barely recognizes. On arrival he finds the mood of the communities he encounters pale beside the memories of his own birthplace, and the tone of welcome feels cooler than he expected. He moves through small towns and quiet streets, listening for signs that might validate his sense of belonging but repeatedly encounters indifference or guarded reserve. Along his travels he forms relationships with two women who live in their own solitary rhythms. Through conversations, shared meals, and tentative intimacy, the encounter becomes a mirror for his own hopes and disappointments about exile and memory, and he wonders what home might mean to him.

Released in 1977, the film is the work of director Jean Pierre Lefebvre with a screenplay credited to Mireille Amiel. The production reflects Lefebvre's intimate, human scale approach to storytelling and his tradition of character driven dramas rooted in life.

Box office figures for this title are not widely reported and reliable worldwide totals are hard to come by. The film exists more as an artistic statement within Lefebvre's body of work than as a commercial success in Canadian cinema.

There are no major nominations or wins widely listed for this title. While Lefebvre is celebrated in academic circles for his influence on Canadian cinema, this particular film did not tour the festival circuit in a way that would yield prominent accolades. Its reception remains among cinephiles and scholars today.

Reception and themes: Critics often note the film as a quiet meditation on belonging, memory, and the costs of exile. The encounters with the two women thread together yearning, restraint, and a desire for connection across cultural distances, creating a portrait of midlife dislocation without easy answers for its audience.