François Ozon returns to theaters on October 2, 2024 with Quand vient l'Automne, one of the French director 's finest films of recent years. A film noir with naturalistic overtones, Quand vient l'Automne is reminiscent of another film currently in theaters, Alain Guiraudie's poisonous Miséricorde. Indeed, it's unusual for two films to make us want to go mushroom-picking at the same time!
In her English cottage-style home, Michelle (the stunning Hélène Vincent) is as much a grandmotherly cake-maker as she is a modern, flirtatious woman. She lives in a small village in Burgundy, not far from her best friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko). For All Saints' Day, Valérie (Ludivine Sagnier), who has all the makings of an ungrateful daughter, visits her to drop off her son Lucas for a week's vacation.
But as is often the case with Ozon, nothing goes according to plan, and what should be a quiet, pleasant week takes an unexpected turn, revealing many buried secrets in the process. Meanwhile, Marie-Claude's son (Pierre Lottin) returns to live with his mother, after many years in the shadows.
With his trademark great skill, the French filmmaker explores the most complex family dynamics in an absolutely truculent - not to say jubilant- manner. For if Quand vient l'Automne had all the makings of a great film of suspicion (the plot being bolstered, as time goes by, by secrecy), the film is completely honest, for no other reason than to move the story forward in the most straightforward way possible, and it's absolutely brilliant.
Some acknowledge their involvement and wrongdoing, while others are quick to reveal their secrets. A most delightful articulation of relationships that leaves room for an immense sense of humanity. The truth is told as simply as mass. In the end, the detective story is only there to focus on what really matters: mutual protection within a chosen family. An absolutely lovable film, we loved it.
Cinema: which film to see today, this Tuesday December 31, 2024?
Not sure which film to see today? Well, we've got plenty of films to show near you. [Read more]
If you're a fan of French cinema, you're in for a treat! Here's a list of French, Belgian, Swiss and Canadian films currently (and soon) playing in cinemas! [Read more]
Cinema: which film to see today, this Tuesday December 31, 2024?
Cinema: French films to see in cinemas now and in the near future
