France 2019
Opening March 5, 2020
Directed by: Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Writing credits: Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Principal actors: Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche
Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve), an aging actress, has written her memoirs so her daughter Lumir (Juliette Binoche) visits from the U.S. with her family for the occasion. It is clear from the start that their relationship is strained and the reunion becomes a confrontation of mistrust. During the visit Fabienne is acting in a science fiction movie about a daughter who ages and a mother who forever stays young. Lumir visits the film set regularly. Mother and daughter discuss the film and their past and as questions arise reality and fiction in both the film and real life emerge. Fabienne seems to always have her own version of the truth of Lumir's childhood. There are only fleeting moments of closeness.
This film is definitely a women's film. Lumir's father and Fabienne's manager appear but are very much in the background. Lumir's husband (Ethan Hawke) is also just an accessory. The young granddaughter is the genuine bond between the two women.
Kore-Eda Hirokazu's directing is interesting. His Japanese influence shows up in the beautiful filming of the colors of the garden in different stages during the summer months. ()