A young countrywoman searches for her mother in Belle Époque Paris while four of her 21st-century descendants piece together her story from the artifacts in her soon-to-be demolished house in the Normandy countryside in this delightful French crowd-pleaser.
A thoughtful, comic meditation on changing social mores over approximately 125 years, the epoque-shifting film re-examines some much-loved myths and images of French history, particularly from the heyday of Impressionism. Alexis Kavyrchine’s photography brings warm pictorialism to turn-of-the-century Paris but cools off in the modern sections, while Pierre-Yves Gayraud’s costuming has a lot of fun with the rustling taffeta bustles and bonnets of yesteryear. Cédric Klapisch delivers a true crowd-pleasing comedy of France past and present with irresistible appeal to old-school Francophiles. “The best film I saw at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival”. Roger Gibson. (Subtitles)
France/Belgium 2025 Cédric Klapisch 124m
