Jean de Florette is a 1986 French period drama film directed by Claude Berri. The film is based on a novel by Marcel Pagnol, and stars Gerard Depardieu, Yves Montand, and Daniel Auteuil in leading roles. It was followed by a sequel, Manon des Sources.
The film is set in a rural village in Provence during the 1920s. Ugolin, a young farmer, and his uncle, César, live in a small hamlet and make a living by farming flowers. They are desperately in need of water to irrigate their farm, but the only source of water is a spring on a neighboring property that has been abandoned for years.
When the owner of the property dies and leaves it to his estranged nephew, Jean de Florette, Ugolin sees an opportunity to get his hands on the spring. He and César decide to prevent Jean from finding out about the spring by blocking it with stones. They watch with delight as Jean struggles to cultivate his own land without water.
Jean is a city-dweller who has inherited the property from his grandfather, and he moves there with his wife and daughter. He has no experience in farming, but he is determined to make a success of it and provide for his family. However, without water, his crops wither and die.
Jean becomes increasingly desperate and even starts to suspect foul play, but he is unable to discover the cause of his problems. Meanwhile, Ugolin becomes smitten with Jean's daughter, Manon, but she is repulsed by him and his uncle.
As the summer drags on, Jean's health deteriorates, and he becomes increasingly obsessed with finding water. Finally, he discovers the blocked spring and confronts Ugolin and César. In a heart-wrenching scene, Jean collapses and dies of a heart attack before he can even get a sip of water.
The film ends with the revelation that Jean's father had known about the spring all along but had left it blocked as a test of his son's determination. Manon, now grown up, exacts a terrible revenge on Ugolin and César before disappearing into the hills, leaving them to face the consequences of their cruel actions.