When Autumn Falls ‘Quand vient l’automne‘ is an exquisitely crafted psychological drama about the secrets we lock away from view, the truths we care not to see, the love and care that hide toxicity, and the culpability we bury deep in unmarked graves.
Secrets and lies surround François Ozon’s Burgundy-based story of a gentle, sweet, caring grandmother, Michelle (Hélène Vincent). Michelle’s idealistic rural life hides a challenging relationship with her daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) that is about to reach a boiling point after Michelle makes a near-deadly mistake while foraging for food (though the roots of her daughter’s disdain run much deeper). Suddenly, Michelle’s world is thrown into turmoil when her daughter takes away access to her grandson, Lucas (Garlan Erlos), and loneliness invades her rural idyll. The question now is how she can gain access to her grandson, even if the relationship with her daughter is beyond salvage.
Michelle’s best friend, Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko), offers her the emotional support she needs as they walk, forage, bake cakes, and have lunch together. Like Michelle, Marie-Claude also has a challenging relationship with her offspring, Vincent (Pierre Lottin), who is about to be released from prison. Vincent’s name is still spoken with disdain in the small village they call home, his crimes a wound that won’t heal in a town where everybody knows each other and forgiveness is hard to find, but Michelle sees beyond the labels attached to him and his past.
As Vincent is released, Michelle takes him under her wing as a surrogate grandchild, encouraging him to build a new life while supporting him financially. Michelle and Vincent need something from each other, but what is the cost to them and everyone around them?
Ozon has always enjoyed subverting expectations through stories that tease, twist, and turn, hooking us in and often leaving us with more questions than answers. When Autumn Falls is one of those puzzle-box movies that Ozon delights in conjuring. Spanning months and then years, Michelle’s journey alongside Vincent is intriguing, beguiling and knotty, as is his relationship with her grandson as he grows.
As autumn falls on Michelle’s life, the sun rises for Vincent and sets for two others in a story that teeters on the edge of the thriller genre but never fully commits to the darkness beneath the golden leaves scattered on the ground. When Autumn Falls is an exquisitely crafted psychological drama about the secrets we lock away from view, the truths we care not to see, the love and care that hide toxicity, and the culpability we bury deep in unmarked graves.
When Autumn Falls (Quand vient l’automne) is now available to rent, buy or stream.
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