When Autumn Falls (Quand vient l’automne) (12A) |Close-Up Film Review
Dir: Francois Ozon, France, 2024, 104 mins, in French with subtitles
Cast: Hélène Vincent, Josiane Balasko, Garlan Erlos, Pierre Lotin
Review by Carol Allen
The central character in When Autumn Falls is Michelle (Hélène Vincent), who is enjoying what appears to be an idyllic retirement in the French countryside. She lives in a beautiful cottage with a big garden and her best friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko) is living nearby. Michelle is looking forward to a visit from her daughter Valerie (Ludivine Sagnier) and her grandson Lucas (Garlan Erlos).
There are though tensions between mother and daughter. Valerie, who lives in a Paris apartment that her mother has given her, is in the throes of a divorce and when she arrives, while Lucas and his grandmother are delighted to see each other, Valerie is a right misery to her mother. She resents her for some reason and is only interested in getting money out of her. Things fall totally apart when Valerie is poisoned by the mushrooms her mother has cooked and cuts short her visit, vowing Michelle will never see Lucas again. Marie Claude too has her problems. Her son Vincent (Pierre Lotin) has just been released from prison and is out of work with no prospects.
Helene Vincent is superb as Michelle. Her once youthful beauty is still perceivable in early older age When we first meet her, she is joyfully preparing for the chance to spend time with her grandson, whom she adores. And when that is snatched away from her, she is heartbreaking in her disappointment. Generous of heart as she is though, she offers to help Vincent by lending him the money to open a bar in the village.
And that is when Michelle’s problems really begin, as Ozon leads us through his well thought out and engrossing story with unexpected twists and turns and revelations about the recent and the distant past. It’s all skillfully put together, beautifully acted by the entire cast, including young Erlos as the grandson and totally engrossing.
