As far as I know Sandrine Kiberlain remains separated from husband Vincent Lindon, a fact I find sad as they are not only two of the finest French actors currently working but also two of my personal favourites and I can't, as it happens, recall seeing either give a bad performance. On the positive side they do have a daughter together and this enables me to indulge in the word-play above (enceinte is not only the French word for pregnant it also forms a true rhyme with Vincent) in order to write about a film whose basic premise is that Juge Kiberlain, a woman for whom the expression 'sober as a judge' might have been coined, is persuaded against hew will and indeed wish to join colleagues for a New Year celebratory drink which leaves her with no memory of the next few hours and totally bemused to find herself slightly enceinte some six months later with absolutely no idea of how, where and more pertinently who. This last is quickly resolved when hardened criminal and jailbird Dupontel, brought to her office for questioning, recognizes her and marks her card. From then, of course, the film has only one way to go and we are invited along for the ride. I, for one, found it a pleasant trip; a long-time admirer of Dupontel especially away from the 'bad boy' pourris that is his own personal albatross - has no one seen him in, for example, Fauteuils d'Orchestre, for God's sake - and I was pleased to be able to shake his head at a recent screening of the film. Kiberlain, as always, was a delight and it was pleasant to spot a Celia Johnson lookalike in the shape of Miche Bernard-Requin. The only jarring note in fact came from Terry Gilliam, invited on stage by Dupontel, who sycophantically overpraised director Dupontel's extended opening shot as if totally ignorant of Awesome Welle's definitive opening to Touch Of Evil.

Zany, black comedy, 9 Mois Ferme, is on track to becoming one of 2013′s surprise top earning films in France. It was written, directed and stars French cinema bad boy Albert Dupontel and has attracted over 1,500,000 cinema-goers so far with no signs of running out of steam.

The film is the simple story of 40-year-old, unmarried, high-powered judge Ariane Felder (Sandrine Kiberlaine) who lets her hair down at the firm's New Year's eve party only to discover six months later that she is pregnant. Not only is she unable to remember what happened on the evening in question, she has no idea who is the father of the child. Worse is to come when a DNA test reveals he is Bob Nolan (Albert Dupontel), an ex-con who was recently arrested on a grisly murder charge and goes by the name of the 'eye gobbler'.

From this unlikely scenario, Dupontel has crafted a hugely enjoyable, high-energy comedy held together by his chemistry with Kiberlaine and a storyline which is both outrageously funny and surprisingly touching. In press interviews, Dupontel has said he originally wanted to make the film in English with Emma Thompson in the lead role. Fortunately for Kiberlaine that project never saw the light of day.

She shows a deft comic touch as Felder, a lonely career-woman who spends most of her life in a tiny office dealing with a list of heinous crimes. She has reached the pinnacle of her career by remaining coolly detached from her clients and is horrified to discover the pregnancy which presents a serious obstacle to her dreams of becoming an high court judge. On the other side of the fence sits Bob Nolan, who was abandoned by his mother and shuttled from one reform school to another before inevitably ending up in prison. These two well-honed tales of the perils of modern living have been ingeniously cross-fertilised by Dupontel. who demonstrates that, despite the vast intellectual and cultural gulf that separates the two characters, they essentially suffer from the same sense of isolation and loneliness.

While Kiberlaine is the Ice Queen who gradually melts, Dupontel alternates between the "Honey, I'm home" madness of Jack Nicholson in The Shining and a childlike vulnerability which is oddly engaging

This is humour at its darkest. – there are amputated limbs, a lunatic forensic scientist and one character is regularly clobbered with heavy objects. Alongside a winning cast of supporting actors, Oscar winner Jean Dujardin turns up in a hilarious cameo as a TV translator for the deaf with his own individual style of sign language. Ex-Monty Python Terry Gilliam also makes a short appearance as a Hannibal Lecter-like serial killer in a spoof TV report. It's been a disappointing year for French comedies but it looks like Dupontel's madcap film has pulled off an eleventh hour unexpected rescue mission.

Very playful and witty direction. Great original story. Despite all the humour it is still quite touching and endearing at many moments as well. And it has got great editing, photography and soundtrack, for those who like those finer technical details. I DO!

The French are really good at making comedies with a heart, with believable characters, whom one can sympathize with. And however bizarre this story might sound at first, it is still credible. Comedies often get underrated, but it takes lots and lots of talent to write and direct a real good comedy.

There are terrific acting performances by all actors involved, but of course the prize for best acting goes to renowned actress Sandrine Kimberlain. She is masterful. Such a lovely actress, who can act seriously and still be hilarious.

The story: a conservative judge, whose record is impeccable, accidentally gets pregnant by a serial killer. The plot of this movie is to die for! When I started watching it at first I could NOT believe this story could ever be remotely credible. But it is, in a comical way of course. The stories' twists and turns kept surprising me from the very beginning to the end!

French comedy gem! Brilliant (subtle) direction. Witty. And touching. What more could I wish for! I feel good!