Summer Hours (L'heure d'été)

It appears that I rarely select a poor French movie. Last night I watched Summer Hours which stars Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, and Jérémie Renier. If you are looking for an action flick, this is not a movie for you. Summer Hours is a movie that can be seen at different levels. 

Summer Hours' central character is Helene Berthier, an elderly woman whose children and grandchildren have gathered at her home in rural France. Helene was once romantically linked to a character called Paul, a now dead artist who was renowned for his paintings. Helene's home is filled with both Paul's work (a vast collection of priceless art) and other personal items that have tremendous sentimental value. 

Summer Hours tells the story of her family through the eyes of these objects. The film opens with Helene's large family gathering in her old house located in the French countryside. Her three children and their children are introduced at this time. During this gathering she has a talk with the elder brother, Frédéric, about her wishes when she dies. A year later, she dies and the children have to decide about the fate of the house and the artwork within.

Frédéric, a professor of economy, who lives in France wants to preserve the house, he wants to stick to his roots, to family memories but his brother and sister want to follow their careers in China and US. Hence, they want to sell the house and it contents. The resulting monies will allow them to enhance their lives. You can see this causes problems among the siblings.

That is all I will say. However, Summer Hours has multiple themes. This movie looks at how we "treasure" changes as we age, how art and objects tie people to the past, the relationship between art, globalization and commerce, the seemingly arbitrary and shifting value of objects, and the question of what defines art.

I recommend this good film.