Vivre la Vie
(The Allotment)

Feature   |  French | France (Franco-Italian Co-production)

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Production Status:  In Development ​

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Genre: Romantic Comedy/Drama/Sci-Fi

 

Tagline: Destiny doesn't happen by accident. 

 

Logline:  

After an Italian glider pilot makes a successful crash landing in a remote Dordogne tobacco field, the pilot seeks the assistance of the owners. He soon realizes that the price of recovering his valuable aircraft is romance and eternal life. It sounds too good to be true.

 

Production Companies: Serein Productions (France) US Pre-sales to: MediaFusion Entertainment (USA) & Airworthy Films (USA)

 

Written by Carol Bidault & Robert Pelt

Based on an original story by Robert Pelt

Producer: Carol Bidault de l'Isle 

Executive Producer: Robert & Diane Pelt

 

Similar films: BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, THE ITALIAN JOB & BEGUILED

 

Location: Dordogne (France)

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FINANCE IN PLACE: 65% (In Equity and Tax incentives)

 

SYNOPSIS: 

This story comes from out of the blue, literally. On a Friday afternoon in the skies over the Dordogne region in France, VINCENZO PIAROU is confronted with a massive thunderstorm and decides to land in a remote farm field. 

 

Following a safe landing, Vincenzo seeks assistance at a nearby manor home where he meets siblings MARIE and CHARLES DUBOIS, owners of the tobacco field, and thousands of the hundreds of acres. Both Dubois are hospitable at first; Marie is welcoming yet mysterious. But Charles turns from gracious to belligerent when he determines the extent of the damage to his tobacco crop; the sailplane, having landed within days of the harvest, has destroyed over 40,000 euros of tobacco. Charles demands full payment, and in cash. Vincenzo’s sailplane will be held “hostage” until payment is made.

 

Marie isn’t so concerned about the tobacco; she sees Vincenzo’s accidental landing as her destiny and a fortuitous opportunity, for she quickly falls in love.  Vincenzo is mutually attracted to Marie, but he’s more preoccupied with retrieving his sailplane. In an effort to change Vincenzo’s focus from the sailplane to her, Marie shares a family secret with Vincenzo: she and her brother make and take an elixir that has kept them alive since the mid-nineteenth century and may do so indefinitely. After listening to Marie’s strange tale, Vincenzo becomes incredulous and believes that Charles and Marie are out to swindle him.

 

Vincenzo refuses to pay Charles the ransom or to believe Marie’s story of eternal life. Instead, he enlists the help of a friend, JEAN LAVAL .  Jean is a retired French AirForce Captain; together they devise a brazen plan to extract the aircraft from the Dubois farm by force.  However, the plan ultimately fails, leaving Vincenzo in more trouble with the Dubois and realizing that his chances of recovering the sailplane are slipping away. But just as all seems lost, fate steps in when Charles suffers a farm accident.  While her brother is hospitalized, Marie calls Vincenzo and asks him to remove the sailplane -- with ransom payment waived.  Back at the Dubois farm, a neighbor tells Vincent that the Dubois will need help in harvesting the remaining tobacco. Vincenzo and Jean volunteer to help.

 

When Marie learns of this act of kindness, she is deeply touched and convinces Charles to make Vincenzo the offer of a lifetime. So Charles confides with Vincenzo that after 120 years of life he now seeks eternal rest. The bargain is simple to marry Marie, take their mysterious elixir, and live forever on the Dubois farm. Although Vincenzo’s relationship with Marie has been short and tenuous, he has also fallen in love.  Vincent accepts the bargain, but as with many bargains, you can get more than you bargained for.

 

The Allotment is a film that explores the joys of flying sailplanes and growing rare Sarlat tobacco, with the themes of eternal life, family, and love - and with a very unusual humor.