'Astrée and Céladon' presents a dreamy idyll

Andy Gillet and Stéphanie Crayencour in Éric Rohmer's ''The Romance of Astrée and Céladon.'' (Koch Lorber)

"The Romance of Astrée and Céladon" is Éric Rohmer's ode to lolling about. The movie is set among the knolls, clearings, and forests of the French hinterlands, and the 88-year-old Rohmer is obviously in love. Yet his enthusiasm for playing outside is more infectious than the amateur troupe of women and men he's assembled for this adaptation of Honoré d'Urfé 400-year-old-novel, "Astrée."

The book is set in 17th-century Forez, France. But in the movie's preface, which scrolls on screen, Rohmer laments that, since Forez currently suffers from urban blight, the location had to be moved to a place known for its "bucolic charm." (You can almost hear him sing, "Mercy, Mercy Me.") All the greenery is charming. So is the gushing river that our shepherd hero, Céladon (Andy Gillet), throws himself into.

His ladylove, Astrée (Stéphanie Crayencour), sees him kiss another girl at a party and runs off hurt. The next day she calls him on it, and he tries to wiggle his way out of trouble. She doesn't believe him and tells him she never wants to see him again. So into the river he goes. She weeps and weeps, thinking him dead. But three nymphs lift him out and carry him into a castle, where he recuperates and is lusted after. His heart belongs to Astrée, who starts to suspect that he's still alive.

Rohmer could have played this as a Renaissance Fair version of "Ghost." But I'm guessing that Éric Rohmer has never seen "Ghost." In its placidity, if not in its emotional depth or casual eroticism, "Astrée and Céladon" is of a piece with early Rohmer, and less formally and historically adventurous than his recent outings ("The Lady and the Duke," "Triple Agent"). The new film is the living embodiment of a storybook. All it's missing is a lullaby. Instead, it culminates with a cross-dressing sequence that's notable for its sweetness.

The talent of the kids in the cast matches the scenery: It's all green. But Rohmer certainly knows what he's doing, and here it appears to be very little. That's the idea. The movie looks and feels exactly how it probably was to make: like a walk in the park.

Wesley Morris can be reached at wmorris@globe.com. For more on movies, go to www.boston.com/ae/movienation.