A GIRL, AN OLD MAN AND A TASTY OINKER.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

THE TITLE character in ``The Girl From Paris'' isn't actually a girl; she's a woman. And while she's from Paris, you don't see much of the city because she's looking to put it in her rearview mirror. What you do see is a hog being butchered, a cow slaughtered, goats being stillborn and a few other grim slices of farm life that won't put the film on the Humane Society's top-10 list but do keep it in a kind of grounded reality that makes it better than its generic title.

Despite its occasionally harsh trappings, ``Girl'' is actually a pretty lightweight tale of the friendship that evolves between the ``girl,'' Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner), and Adrien (Michel Serrault), the grumpy old farmer who sells her his land and herd of goats. Their deal includes a provision that allows Adrien to stay at the farm for 18 months until his new home is ready. Deep down, he doesn't believe this greenhorn will last that long.

Admittedly, it's the stuff of formula, and the movie's lessons prove to be pretty predictable. But director Christian Carion, who co-wrote the film with Eric Assous, manages to keep you interested by gradually shifting the nature of the relationship between the old man and his protege.

At first, Sandrine can do nothing right. To Adrien, she even peels potatoes like an amateur. ``You've never seen war,'' he tells her, complaining that she takes too much potato off with the peel.

Petty stuff. But as the days grow shorter, a grudging, mutual admiration forms. He teaches her to waltz; she tells him about the Internet. Their differences in age and temperament become less important than a shared affinity for nature - and goat cheese.

Carion maintains a leisurely pace as summer turns into autumn, autumn into winter. This sauntering style is certainly appropriate to the material, but that doesn't mean it isn't a bit dull sometimes. And Seigner is never completely convincing as a woman yearning to get back to nature.

More persuasive is Cairon's depiction of the adversities that come with rural life. Anyone with a ``Green Acres'' itch should consider it required viewing. Be forewarned, though: Here, the pig doesn't join the family for dinner. It is the dinner.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

THE GIRL FROM PARIS - Two and one half stars

(French with English subtitles. Unrated: language, animal butchery)

Starring: Michele Serrault, Mathilde Seigner.

Director: Christian Carion.

Running time: 1 hr. 43 min.

Playing: Laemmle Fallbrook 7 in West Hills; Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena; Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills.

In a nutshell: French ``Green Acres,'' only it's more arty than funny - and the pig gets butchered.