Un petit air de fête

Jérôme leaves his rural home to try his luck in the city, arriving with a mix of hope and nerves. He gets a job at the town hall and is partnered with Lucien, an older municipal worker who knows the town's rhythms. Their first task is the familiar, hands-on work of putting up Christmas decorations, a job that lets them talk and settle into routine. After that seasonal duty they're assigned a very different mission that nudges daily life out of its ordinary groove, introducing odd, slightly magical moments. Characters like La Chignole add a peculiar, comic edge to otherwise everyday scenes.

Released in 1999, Un petit air de fête was directed by Éric Guirado. The cast includes Benoît Giros, Serge Riaboukine and Jean-François Gallotte. It's an original French drama with fantasy leanings, not promoted as an adaptation, during the late 1990s.

Box office figures for the film aren't widely documented, and it didn't achieve notable international distribution. It has a modest profile, mainly screened at local venues and small festivals, rather than registering major commercial returns outside France and mainstream theaters.

Critical coverage is limited, with few widely cited reviews, but viewers note the film's low-key blend of everyday municipal work and surreal moments. It centers on routines, human connection, seasonal rituals and the way small changes unsettle ordinary life, mixing gentle humor with a slightly uncanny atmosphere and patient observation.

Un petit air de fête hasn't become mainstream, but it resonates with fans of intimate regional French cinema. Its quiet contrasts between civic ritual and subtle fantasy give it a cult appeal among a small audience, and performances by Giros and Riaboukine are often mentioned by aficionados in online forums.