At 91 years old, Pierre Richard returns with The Man Who Saw the Bear Who Saw the Man, an intimate fable about friendship and freedom, partly filmed in Gruissan. After a premiere that received a standing ovation in Le Mans, the actor-director defended his film on France 2’s 8 PM news. Additionally, he did not miss the opportunity to joke about the rumors concerning him. National release on September 17, 2025.
A film expected on September 17
Pierre Richard, aged 91, makes his return behind the camera. He is also in front of the camera with The Man Who Saw the Bear Who Saw the Man. This film is announced in theaters on September 17, 2025. Furthermore, the story weaves the friendship between an old man who cherishes independence and a teenager. This teenager has an autism spectrum disorder. Together, they take in a bear that escaped from a circus, a figure both comedic and metaphorical. The actor-director describes this feature film as his most intimate film. It is enriched by his youthful memories. Moreover, it reflects his stubborn taste for freedom.
In Gruissan, the secret land of a winemaker filmmaker
The filming took place partly in Gruissan (Aude), where Pierre Richard lives part of the year among his vineyards. The landscape of lagoons, salt marshes, and pine forests becomes a character here: a nature that is protective but never docile, framing the fable without illustrating it. We observe the light step of the "absent-minded" and his ironic blue gaze. However, we also perceive the gravity of a man. Indeed, he films his territory as one films a memory.
In Le Mans, a premiere with a standing ovation
On September 9, 2025, the premiere at CGR Saint-Saturnin (Le Mans) gathered a large crowd. The theater was full, and the applause was hearty. Thus, the evening resembled a national reunion with such a familiar comedian. Indeed, his silhouette has accompanied French comedy for decades. Enough to anticipate a good start at the 2025 box office. Alongside Pierre Richard, the young Timi-Joy Marbot was praised for his portrayal of the autistic boy, while the team spoke of a filming adventure "at human height."
"I’m not dead yet": humor as a compass
As a guest on France 2’s 8 PM news, facing Léa Salamé, Pierre Richard defused with a smile the rumors about his health: the actor admits to "limping," but continues to write, act, and film. A few days earlier, on August 28, 2025, he had posted a mocking message on Instagram to correct alarming information. He also reminded that it was "the third time" he had been declared dead. True to his line: irony to ward off worry and the stage as a response.
A memory film that speaks of confinement and open air
This story of a hermit and a teen learning to understand each other resembles a moving self-portrait. Richard summons his dreams of escape, his childhood cabins, his Mediterranean land. The script plays against type: the bear, a symbol of wildness, becomes the spur that opens the characters to the world. At 91, the young filmmaker films confinement (that of the old man as well as the young one) to better seek the open air: the outside, the ocean of ponds, the slow and determined walk.
Burlesque heritage: from The Tall Blond to The ComDads
One does not return to Pierre Richard without finding the benevolent shadow of burlesque. The lunar slow motion, the gag born from a sidestep, the art of ellipsis: a whole heritage that comes from music hall, from Buster Keaton to Jacques Tati. The public remembers for a long time the Tall Blond of the 1970s (The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, 1972) and the trio Francis Veber Gérard Depardieu Pierre Richard (La Chèvre, The ComDads, The Fugitives). Here, the comedic mechanics become more tremulous, more tender: silences, glances, a humor that allows itself melancholy.
Difference and ecology: a fable of French cinema
The film chooses the point of view of the encounter: that of an old man with a secret world and a young neuroatypical. Rather than psychologizing, the staging favors gestures, rhythms, a patient listening. Ecology is not a slogan: it permeates the setting of dunes, cabins, winds and inscribes the story in a present where we debate cohabitation with the living. The bear is not a monster: it is a presence that forces everyone to decenter themselves.
A nonagenarian at work
"I limp," acknowledges the actor. But the gesture remains precise: an economy of movements, a sobriety that refuses showiness. The role seems written for him: a body that stumbles, a voice that soothes, a joy that surfaces. This energy on set, Pierre Richard claims it in parallel with theater (I’m Here but I’m Not Here!), and out of loyalty to a simple credo: continue as long as the desire holds.
Express timeline
- August 28, 2025: ironic message on Instagram to deny information about his health.
- September 9, 2025: premiere at CGR Saint-Saturnin (Le Mans), full house.
- September 11, 2025: interview on 8 PM news (France 2); discussion of the film and clarification on rumors.
- September 12, 2025: publication of a major portrait dedicated to the actor and the film.
- September 17, 2025: national release in France.
Artistic sheet (main)
- Director: Pierre Richard
- Cast: Pierre Richard, Timi-Joy Marbot, Gustave Kervern, Anny Duperey
- Filming location: Gruissan (Aude)
- Themes: intergenerational friendship, independence, nature, difference
- Production: Moby Dick Films
Why this film is of interest
Because it elegantly weaves the thread of popular memory into the ecological present, Pierre Richard offers more than just a return: he reinvents French comedy in his own way without ever denying his tender and poetic vein. At 91, he does not sign a cinematic testament, but rather a true declaration of independence, a gesture of a free artist who refuses to be confined to the past.
What we hear then is a rare music: that of a creator who looks at his era with the delicacy of experience, but without the blindness of nostalgia. In this, he embodies a singularity: that of a man who has crossed generations, who has marked the collective imagination, and who continues to surprise with his ability to combine tenderness, humor, and freedom.