Where Avenues of Life Intersect

French writer-director Danièle Thompson's latest ensemble comedy, "Avenue Montaigne," is set on one Parisian street at the nexus of theaters, auction houses, haute-cuisine restaurants and high-end shops, but much of the action revolves around the Bar des Théatres, a real-life old-fashioned cafe and bistro. The cafe's newest employee, a girl from the provinces named Jessica (Cécile De France), becomes involved in the lives of its wealthy clientele as the film progresses toward the events of one night -- a play's opening, a piano concert, an art auction, a retirement -- that will change their lives. (See review on Page 32.)

Thompson, whose previous films were 1999's "La Buche" and 2002's "Jet Lag," says, "The original idea [for 'Avenue Montaigne'] came from one night when I was at the theater, looked around and saw these people pouring out of this huge building where they have a restaurant on the roof, an auction house in the basement, a concert hall and a theater, and they have this little cafe and a beautiful hotel next to it." Struck by the bustle and juxtapositions, she called her co-writer and son, Christopher Thompson.

The next day, she and Christopher walked around the neighborhood to flesh out their ideas when they spotted something that confirmed her suspicion that "this area is very rich, in that people mix who normally wouldn't mix."

"There was a truck delivering all the instruments for the Berlin Philharmonic, and next to it was another truck that was delivering the fish for the restaurant, and [the drivers] were arguing," Thompson says. Voilà! A film was born.

Shot on location, the film is a preservation piece, of sorts, of the little Bar des Théatres: "This little tiny place where you can go buy yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and some french fries -- for a normal price -- is the last one in the area." She laments its imminent passing, saying that since she finished shooting there, "there's a little piece of it that's already closed, and it's going to become a shoe shop."

But the film, like her two previous ones, preserves a different kind of legacy: that of parent-child collaboration. Thompson began her career in film in 1966 when she co-wrote the war comedy "Don't Look Now -- We're Being Shot At" ("La Grande Vadrouille"), directed by her father, Gérard Oury, who died last year. That film led to nine more father-daughter collaborations, and when Thompson wanted to write and direct a film of her own, she turned, naturally, to her screenwriter son, Christopher.

Becoming co-writers, she says, was a delicate process. "Once we very clearly and honestly decided that we're going to try it and see -- which was seven years ago on our first film together, 'La Buche' -- we said, 'Let's try it for two or three weeks and see what happens.' It was okay; we enjoyed it, we were productive," she says, and a writing team was born.

That satisfying partnership allowed the two Thompsons to explore themes of dissatisfaction and family dysfunction. Like "La Buche," about a dysfunctional family at Christmastime, "Montaigne" features a large cast of characters whose lives intersect in various ways. Besides the plucky Jessica, all the characters are united, Thompson says, by "people's deep dissatisfaction," from the soap-opera star and concert pianist to the theater usher and aging art collector.

"At one point we just end our story, but their story will go on, and it's not always going to be fun," she says. "Some of them will die, maybe some of them will split up, or some of them will get together but not for long." Tapping into their dissatisfaction, she says, "is one of the things that we like to do . . . to talk about difficult things in a light, comedic tone."

"Avenue Montaigne," the director says, is "an optimistic film about not very optimistic things."

D.C. Indies

The ninth annual DC Independent Film Festival, which began Thursday, continues through March 11 with 100 films, 30 themed showcases and seven days of seminars, classes and panel discussions for budding filmmakers.

This year, the festival organizers combine film and music with the DC Independent Music Festival, with local bands and DJs performing every night after the screenings. On March 11, the closing night reception follows the documentary/concert film "I Trust You to Kill Me," about the disaster-prone tour of the band Rocco DeLuca & the Burden and road manager/record-label owner (and "24" star) Kiefer Sutherland. Tickets for the film and reception are $25.

All events are at the University of the District of Columbia's University Auditorium, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-537-9493 or visit http://www.dciff.org for tickets, schedule and more information.