Laydu is poorly received by the community, which regards him as a fish out of water. He turns to a nearby senior priest, Adrien Borel, for advice but is told little useful except to carry on. Laydu meets an eccentric doctor past his best years, Antoine Balpêtré, who also has much to say of which little has value.
Indeed, that is the pattern of the film, which has the mysterious, incorruptible Laydu engaged in one curious conversation after another. What he says sounds strange, but is it because the truth is so rarely expressed? Lights appear to turn on inside the heads of those who speak to Laydu, as if the young priest temporarily becomes a medium for an angel seeking to save troubled souls.
Laydu becomes involved with a wealthy and prominent but disturbed family. The Count (Jean Riveyre) is dismissive of all, especially the priest, while the Countess (Rachel Bérendt) is embittered by the unexpected death of her preteenaged son. No love exists between her and her daughter, Chantal (Nicole Ladmiral), who responds with malevolence. Chantal confides in Laydu, trying to provoke a reaction, but Laydu remains as impenetrable as ever, though uttering mild rebukes.
How others will see it. Diary of a Country Priest was a sensation at the 1951 Venice Film Festival, where it won various awards. Laydu eventually received a Best Foreign Actor nod at BAFTA, though he had no acting experience prior to making the film. Beginning with this movie, Bresson used only amateurs for the rest of his career, in the belief that professionals bring baggage to the roles instead of the blank slate that Bresson required.
Today at imdb.com, the film has a relatively low user vote total of 4.4K. The user ratings are high at 7.8 and are consistent among viewers under 45. Over age 45, a huge gender gap emerges. More than half of all women over 45 grade the movie only 1 out of 10, likely preferring a positive ending where the young priest returns to robust health and finds Chantal in positive spirits.
How I felt about it. Laydu appears to be a Christ figure, pure and noble and willing to suffer a miserable, lonely, drawn-out death in the service of his faith. The aged priest recognizes that Laydu is special, as do various villagers, but they still don't know what to do with him, aside from offering useless advice. Perhaps the person who understands him best is Séraphita (Martine Lemaire), an ordinary farm girl who rights him when he has fallen and puts him back on the path.
The cryptic dialogue for Diary of a Country Priest makes one wonder whether some of the lines were lost in translation from French to English. Though they possess a philosophical aspect apart from religion, Laydu suggests that resignation, or acceptance of fate, is the direct path to heaven.
The actor Laydu went on to a lengthy career, including the lead in I Was a Parish Priest, a stereotyped casting if there ever was one. Lovely young Nicole Lamiral had less luck, commiting suicide at age 28 in 1956.