European Films

In rural 1960 Berry, Gisèle (Baye) has already tried to adopt a child from a home several times. When she learns that the proposed child for her latest try is a Muslim, she balks because she knows how her war-veteran husband Georges (Depardieu) would react. The woman in charge of placing the children in foster homes puts her foot down, however, telling her it is either him or no one, so Gisèle takes the little Mahmoud (Seghir) home.

Having survived her marriage with the sometimes impetuous Georges thus far, Gisèle is anything if not a practical woman and barely home she sets about dyeing the little one’s hair blond and tells him he is actually called Michel ("Michou" is a diminutive of Michel) and that he comes from up North instead of the colonies. Under the tutelage of a benign schoolmaster (Mathieu Almaric) who secretly has an eye on Gisèle, Michou tries to catch up at school, with every good grade becoming a reason for Georges to be extremely proud of his little blond rascal and every setback a cue for endless lessons in which Georges tries to imbue the little one with the virtues of the French language by dictating speeches from his hero Charles de Gaulle.