Customer Reviews

Summer Hours (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This elegiac French film concerns the passing of one generation to the next in a family of three siblings left with the complicated inheritance of a mother whose country house is filled with the memories and belongings of a great-uncle who was a well-known artist. Richly detailed, Proustian evocation of a moment in time where past and present meet - before time moves on.

This is a multi-layered film, interested in the interconnections between overlapping lives, while taking on many themes from the meaning that possessions assume in our lives to the responsibilities we owe to the past and to the memories and wishes of our forebears. It raises issues of lasting vs ephemeral values, esthetic vs practical, monetary vs sentimental, materialism vs intangibles like loyalty, respect, passion, tradition. It tantalizes with the expectation of family secrets that are never quite revealed. It luxuriates in the languor of French countryside at the height of summer.

While the dilemma - what to do with the the art collection of a dead artist - suggests a kind of high-culture perspective on the subject, the film keeps bringing us down to earth with its interest in the conflicts that might exist between any family members left to sort out the belongings of a dead parent, while needing to get on with their lives. The closing scenes are a brilliant coda to the way the dilemma is resolved - the central characters are left behind as we follow the next generation - teenagers invading the abandoned country house for a last weekend of partying, their attention focused completely on the present and the beckoning future.

This is a wise and thoughtful film especially for older adults. See it with someone who has lived a good deal of life, and the two of you will have much to reflect on and comment about.

I agree with most of what the other reviewers have said about this film. This is a wonderful film - full of insights about humanity, family, Life and Love.

However, I think this film has much more to offer than just insights about memories, or generations, or possessions . . . .

It is the second in a series of films produced by Musée d'Orsay, after The Flight of the Red Balloon. Flight Of The Red Balloon [DVD] WS, Juliette Binoche

This film is a "map" of modern human consciousness.

It starts with a French family gathering in the provences at their family home. The aging mother, now 75 years old, played by lovely and charming French actress Edith Scob, has gathered with her children for a birthday. Her children have come from their careers, all over the world, to be with her. During the course of the celebration, they begin exchanging memories, sentiments, the realities of fulfilling careers in a modern global economy, and, the importance of their love and sentiment for each other.

In the wake of the mother's demise, the family explores the values that they hold most dearly. As all of us must face, in our modern lives, they make compromises so that they may continue with their careers, their global pursuits, and their relationships outside of the family. The denouement arrives when they decide to sell their mother's considerable estate, and, donate many of her objets d'art to the Musée d'Orsay.

The film witnesses the resolution of their grief, fears, hopes and dreams, as they gradually let go of the art that their mother had collected, and, which had surrounded them when they were children.

Juliette Binoche (as a blonde) is no less than brilliant in this performance. In many ways, it involved another enactment of her extraordinary, and award-winning, performance in "Bleu", in the well-known and respected French trilogy - Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge, by Kiezlowski. Three Colors Trilogy (Blue / White / Red)

This film exlplores all of our feelings, spirit, and thoughts, as all of us now struggle for identity in a global conscioussness, fast becoming smaller, and smaller, and smaller . . . .

This elegiac French film concerns the passing of one generation to the next in a family of three siblings left with the complicated inheritance of a mother whose country house is filled with the memories and belongings of a great-uncle who was a well-known artist. Richly detailed, Proustian evocation of a moment in time where past and present meet - before time moves on.

This is a multi-layered film, interested in the interconnections between overlapping lives, while taking on many themes from the meaning that possessions assume in our lives to the responsibilities we owe to the past and to the memories and wishes of our forebears. It raises issues of lasting vs ephemeral values, esthetic vs practical, monetary vs sentimental, materialism vs intangibles like loyalty, respect, passion, tradition. It tantalizes with the expectation of family secrets that are never quite revealed. It luxuriates in the languor of French countryside at the height of summer.

While the dilemma - what to do with the the art collection of a dead artist - suggests a kind of high-culture perspective on the subject, the film keeps bringing us down to earth with its interest in the conflicts that might exist between any family members left to sort out the belongings of a dead parent, while needing to get on with their lives. The closing scenes are a brilliant coda to the way the dilemma is resolved - the central characters are left behind as we follow the next generation - teenagers invading the abandoned country house for a last weekend of partying, their attention focused completely on the present and the beckoning future.

This is a wise and thoughtful film especially for older adults. See it with someone who has lived a good deal of life, and the two of you will have much to reflect on and comment about.

I tend to read "French" in the description of a film and then overlook everything else about the film. I should remember to do as much research into a French film as any other.

"Summer Hours", stars Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling and Jeremie Renier as siblings who bring their families to visit their mother/ grandmother at her country estate every summer. Mother takes her oldest son (Bierling) aside to give him her normal talk about her death and what he should do with all of the artworks and valuable objects in her house, annoying him enough to cause him to walk away. But she dies shortly after and the siblings have to deal with the estate and their past disagreements.

"Summer Hours" written and directed by Olivier Assayas ("Irma Vep") is, initially, an interesting film. An extremely meditative look at the relationship between the siblings and their mother, this depth provides the interest, holding our attention for a while.

But as the film progresses, it becomes episodic. And slow, repeating the themes over and over again.

The film opens with the entire clan invading grandmother's house in the country. The housekeeper seems a little overwhelmed, trying to keep the grandchildren from destroying the house, but she has been with the family for years, so she is used to the yearly invasion. Grandmother seems to welcome the activity, but becomes a little put out when she starts to open the gifts they have brought. Later, she corners her son and starts to give him a rundown of all of the valuable pieces in the house. He quickly becomes irritated; he has heard this before and doesn't like to hear her talk about death. There also seems to be friction between grandmother and her daughter (Binoche) who lives in America. The youngest son and his wife live in China, where the son runs a factory for Puma. Grandmother seems to be able to talk of little else other than her famous Uncle, a painter who will soon have a retrospective in San Francisco. Daughter tries to connect with her mother over this, but their appears to be too much bad blood, too much history.

This segment goes on for a while, and introduces us to each of the main characters in the story. When the various families leave, grandmother sits down and enjoys the peace and quiet. There is a slow fade to black and then we watch as the siblings gather for their mother's funeral. There are some interesting moments as we witness their grieving and how they start to deal with the loss of their mother. Then the conversation turns to the estate.

After some conversation, it seems like the estate becomes the only reason for the film to exist. This is what starts conversations between them. This is what drives the narrative; such as it is, forward. Maybe this is the point. Perhaps we are supposed to realize these siblings are not very close and only come together when they have to deal with family issues. This is made very clear, very quickly, yet we keep returning to it, we keep watching various scenes meant to illustrate this. It becomes repetitive.

Each time the image faded to black, I was ready for the film to end, but it quickly faded back and another chapter unfolded. This wouldn't be a bad method of storytelling, but the narrative doesn't really seem to move forward on a consistent basis.

And Binoche disappears for a lot of the film. The film really stars Charles Berling. He does a remarkably good job of playing the older brother, the patriarch of the family. You can see the weight of the world resting heavily on his shoulders and now that he is the only sibling living in France, he has to deal with their mother's affairs. His relationship with his wife and teenage daughter helps to break up the monotony of the rest of the story, giving us a glimpse into life in modern France.

But just as the relationship between the older son and his wife becomes interesting, a subplot about the Musee D'Orsay taking possession of some of their mother's pieces takes over the narrative. Really? This is interesting for a few moments, but when we sit in on a committee meeting while various French officials begin to debate whether the family deserves a tax credit against the inheritance tax, I began to tune out. Again.

"Summer Hours" has an interesting germ of an idea buried within the film. But a lot of extraneous detail and dialogue make it almost inaccessible to the audience.

A beautiful sad profound film shot with clarity, empathy and understanding of the complexity of civilized living. Quality of life means being embraced by family ghosts, stories and secrets and by objects given life through those stories. Objects that are murdered when placed into a museum.

The film acknowledges that modern life can disconnect yet makes it obvious that there is a common denominator, that of authenticity bestowed by one's inner life. Eloise touching the flowers in front of the emasculated house. Eloise watching her patronne wilt after the departure of grandkids. The Paris couple adjusting to life with grace and humor; the girl's sadness upon realizing that she has just lost a priceless part of her childhood. It seemed to me that the expat siblings were missing something essential - as if cutting links to their old home and country diminished them subtly, irreversibly. The film wasn't easy to watch, my grandfather had a similar grand old house & garden etc. And I now live far away.

Films like this make us sad, but also make us more real.

****1/2

In the early scenes of "Summer Hours," a 75-year-old French widow (Edith Scob), sensing that the end of her life is at hand, gathers her three adult children and their respective families together at their bucolic ancestral home to celebrate what she believes may be her final birthday. Though a proud mother and a dutiful wife, Helene Bertier has really lived her whole life dedicated to preserving the work and the memory of her uncle, a famous, well-respected painter (there are indications that there may have been more to their relationship than what was apparent on the surface). Two of her three children have scattered to the far-flung corners of the globe - Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) to New York City and Jeremie (Jeremie Renier) to China - while the oldest, Frederic (Charles Berling), alone of the three, remains in France. When the day of her passing finally arrives, the three siblings are faced with the universal dilemma of clinging to the past by holding onto the family estate with all the memories it contains or of selling it off and moving on with their lives.

"Summer Hours" is a beautifully realized film that captures the truths of familial relationships in subtle and knowing terms. The film has an unforced, spontaneous feel to it, due in large part to the lack of contrived plotting, the lifelike dialogue, the understated performances and the spontaneous, naturalistic style of filmmaking director Olivier Assayas has employed in service of the material. Though very little "happens" in the conventional narrative sense of the term, the film is never static because Assayas has made the camera an intimate though unobtrusive observer of the scene. We feel as if we are eavesdropping on these people, while, at the same time, becoming deeply involved with their lives and story. Even the conflicts that inevitably arise among the siblings are executed with amazing restraint and precision, completely devoid of the kind of hyperbole and histrionics that seem to blight so many "family dramas."

The movie captures the sad reality that sometimes when a person's life is over, all that's left behind to commemorate that life is an assortment of "things," things that come to have less and less value to each succeeding generation as the personal meanings and memories associated with them recede with time. Yet, in the final scene there is a brief but poignant hint that there is still a continuity that runs through the generations, binding them together in shared experience, no matter how tenuous that connection may appear to the casual observer.

Superb performances and artful direction make "Summer Hours" a treat in any season.

Oliver Assaya's (Paris, Je T'Aime (Paris, I Love You)) "Summer Hours" is a movie about the tyranny of things. Helene Berthier dies and leaves behind a comfortable country house-the sort that takes a whole life time to get just right-and an art collection. Her three children, Frederic, Adrienne and Jeremie (played by Charles Berling, Juliette Binoche, and Jeremie Renier) argue about how to dispense of Helene's things. Frederic wants to keep everything as it is. Adrienne and Jeremie would rather sell the house and everything in it and donate the art to the Musee d'Orsay.

Prima facie, this film sounds a little dull. But it deeply explores the way in which things acquire meaning through attached memories. Some people seem to want no memory and strive to live in a clear, unencumbered present. Adrienne and Julienne live overseas and want little to do with France and its traditions. Adrienne's mother poignantly tells her "you prefer objects not weighed down by the past". Julienne, living in Japan and manufacturing trainers-an icon of the disposable lifestyle-is keen to get rid of what he won't use. Others, like Frederic, are reluctant to let go of things because the animate memory and lifestyle attached to the inanimate object will likely disappear with the auctioneers hammer.

I once aspired to not own more than I could fit into my VW. And yet, I can't deny being moved when I look at piles of old photographs of my grandmother in the South of France. Everyone wants to simplify. It's terribly tacky to attach meaning to things. And yet, home doesn't feel too homey if it's full of IKEA furniture purchased yesterday. What do you keep? What do you let go of? How much of your present life do you sacrifice for the jet sam of your parent's life? How much energy should you expend to make the decision? How much should things rule our lives? Summer Hours demonstrates that every thing, every piece of stuff you bring into a home, no matter how trivial, is likely to exact a toll that is anything but small.

At 75 years old, Helene, (Edith Scob), has left express instructions to her three adult children on what to do with her vast collection of valuable art and country home when she dies. She is also wise to realize her wishes may not be met, foreseeing her children's indifference to her beloved collection, and their own global routine of daily living, which won't include the care and upkeep of a lovely and rustic French country home rich in familial history. She tells all this to her children during her 75th birthday get-together, as if leaving them to choose between the lady or the tiger.

For anyone forced to deal with a deceased parent's estate, director Olivier Assayas' examination of the cycle of life in one French family will strike a nerve of gentle guilt. While the matriarch is alive, the three adult children have no intention of disrupting the generational passing of precious heirlooms, but upon her death, the impracticality of maintaining a country home and possessing museum quality artwork transposes itself. With a degree of reluctance they free the past and embrace the future, not greedily, but with a strong sense of family pride.

This is a quiet film, more a slice of life than story. The inanimate artwork and home furnishings breathe as much life as the characters; an ancient sculpture in restoration during a tour of the museum where the children will donate much of the artwork exudes, nearly glows with the expression of all that had fondled or looked upon it. The cast has a breezy natural style revealing layers of conflicting emotions - guilt and reverence, sadness and happiness, security and doubt, especailly Charles Berling as the oldest son and Dominique Reymond as his wife, who later view the mother's possessions displayed in a museum. It's cold, he says or something to that effect of his mother's once practical furnishings - it has no life, no purpose.

In French with English subtitles.

Yes, this is an "art" fillum and it is French so it's not for everyone, but bear with me on both scores. The art in this movie is actual art that three siblings inherit along with their family home after their mother dies. The French part shouldn't dissuade those of you who hate subtitled flicks or artsy fartsy European fare--it's really a poignant, loving portrayal of a family yet one based in the reality of what one has to deal with when a loved one dies and you're left with their memories (in this case their valued objects and home).

If this story was done by Hollywood you'd have shrill voices screaming and fighting over the valuable art. As it was done by the French, it's done in a way that seems natural among two brothers and a sister over how to dispose of a family estate in a way that brings honor and dignity to the family name.

There are some great scenes that show up museums and the "coldness" of the way they do business and subsequently display other people's memories where all context and love of art is pretty much lost once removed from its original owner's homes.

The dialogue is first-rate and so natural. The story is also so modern and speaks of the globalization of our modern world and how a culture can be chipped away just by family members moving away. I won't ruin that aspect of the movie for anyone but you'll see how profound the effect is and yet in the end the grandchildren show all is not lost for France when its citizens move abroad.

The movie also looks fantastic. You actually feel as if you are in a wonderful jumbled French country home that actually feels like a home and the art pieces are alive (i.e., one famous vase gets used constantly for flowers rather than just being a display behind a glass case).

(Kudos also for the choice of the Plasticines' song near the end of the movie to showcase France's punk pop of today.)

There are lots of films about death and dying, usually dismal, but director Olivier Assayas has presented here a fine display of the sibling aftermath. There's only a minimal amount of greed involved, but each of the 3 siblings have ther own agendae. Juliette Binoche is always magnificent, but hardly recognizable in her blonde wig. The real star is Charles Berling in a complex and complete performance. He has issues of his own, while trying to do the right thing for his mom. This is a film about generations, and what might happen when things aren't properly prepared. The last scene, which some other reviewers found inane, was really about the new generation coming to terms with the fact that what they once took advantage of may not be there anymore. What more needed to be said? Life goes on, whether we like it or not.I especially liked Isabelle Sadoyan as the housekeeper, Eloise, as well as Ms. Scob as the old matriarch, a brief but affecting performance. A fine film. Recommended.