Summer Hours
Synopsis
Enthusiastic word-of-mouth tributes persuaded us to programme this July 2008 release, in which Olivier Assayas explores the troubled fate of a priceless private art collection following the death of the materfamilias. It’s a quintessentially French look at how a family deals with death and legacy, and Juliette Binoche, Jérémie Renier and Charles Berling are typically brilliant in their portrayal of siblings at odds with each other over the disposal of priceless artefacts (loaned to the producers by the Musée d’Orsay) which represent their family’s personal history. An intelligent and tender exploration of nostalgia, mortality, property and the power of memory.
Critics
“Assayas' most fully satisfying film for some while, a warm, wise drama about the tensions and mysteries of family life. ...beautifully performed, intelligently written and fluently directed.”