

Philibert, a robust lad and eldest son of an artichoke farmer, stands out from the other boys in the village. Idealistic and ingenuous, he foresees for himself a glorious future in artichokes and is saving his virginity for an as-yet-unknown woman chosen for him by God. Before he dies, his father tells him that he isn't his real parent. Philibert's real father was a gentleman murdered in the most cowardly way by a man from Burgundy who is recognisable by a rose-shaped strawberry birthmark on his neck. With a pouch full of ideals and artichokes, Philibert leaves his village and gallops towards Burgundy, accompanied by Martin, his rather deceitful manservant. Philibert's courage, kindness, physical and moral purity will thus be severely tested when faced with the baseness and venality of villains and the temptation of women each more lustful than the last.
Acting
Jérémie Renier commits fully to virgin earnestness amid absurdity.
Costume
Ridiculous codpieces and artichoke-farming chic.
Writing
Somehow makes 'saving yourself for God' a plot engine.

Director
Sylvain Fusée
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Alexandre Astier (Clotindre) created and starred in the beloved French series Kaamelott, making his casting here a weird medieval-comedy crossover event.
This belongs to a peculiar French subgenre of 'Rabelaisian' sex comedies that treat historical settings as excuses for bawdy anachronism—think Les Visiteurs but hornier and less successful.
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