One realizes not everything is all right between Lena and Michel. They are seen momentarily in deep discussion, but their two daughters do not get a whiff of what is really happening. The girls, Frederique and Sophie, are wiser than their tender years indicate. Lena packs the girl for their summer at a rented house at the seaside resort of La Baule in the Loire-Atlantique department, where Lena and her married sister, Bella, and their families spend the summer.
It was the late 1950s in France, a time marked by the conflict in Algeria. The children, accompanied by Odette, come to the house near the ocean where they will intermingle with their cousins. It is also at the resort where Frederique and Sophie will get the news about their parent's irrevocable divorce. Lena cannot stay with Mihel any longer. In fact, she shows a bit of carelessness as her lover from Lyon, Jean-Claude, a sculptor, joins her on his way to America, something he would like her to do.
The summer days are spent on the beach, where with the girls irritating their caretaker, Odette, get in trouble when their pranks get out of hand. Lena is determined to settle with the girls in Paris, but she badly needs money that without Michel's help will be almost impossible. Her brother-in-law promises help, but it might not be adequate for the needs. Michel wants to go back, but one realizes they have nothing left of what they once felt.
A loving tribute by Diane Kurys, a director who has examined her life in different portraits she has created for the screen. Her stories take an intimate view of family life, or the lack of it, as in this case. The film is seen from Frederique's point of view, basically. All that is going on with her mother is examined by the young girl, still too young to really be able to digest the vibes she witnesses around her parents. It is also Frederique's awakening to young love, because she is attracted to her older cousin, something that is tole in subtle ways by Ms. Kurys.
The director, who wrote her own screenplay in collaboration with Alain Le Henry, examines her past with an openness that is refreshing. She handles her cast well and was rewarded with an excellent Natalie Baye as Lena. The other surprise in the film is Julie Bataille, who makes an impression as Frederique. The supporting players are wonderful in their contribution to the viewer's enjoyment of the film. Richard Berry, Vincent Lindon, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Zabou, a young Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and the young children seen as the cousins.
Philippe Sarde contributed with the score which plays in the background, mingled with pop songs of that era. The cinematography is credited to Fabio Conversi and Giuseppe Lanci, which captures the flavor of a typical summer French resort by the sea.
It was the late 1950s in France, a time marked by the conflict in Algeria. The children, accompanied by Odette, come to the house near the ocean where they will intermingle with their cousins. It is also at the resort where Frederique and Sophie will get the news about their parent's irrevocable divorce. Lena cannot stay with Mihel any longer. In fact, she shows a bit of carelessness as her lover from Lyon, Jean-Claude, a sculptor, joins her on his way to America, something he would like her to do.
The summer days are spent on the beach, where with the girls irritating their caretaker, Odette, get in trouble when their pranks get out of hand. Lena is determined to settle with the girls in Paris, but she badly needs money that without Michel's help will be almost impossible. Her brother-in-law promises help, but it might not be adequate for the needs. Michel wants to go back, but one realizes they have nothing left of what they once felt.
A loving tribute by Diane Kurys, a director who has examined her life in different portraits she has created for the screen. Her stories take an intimate view of family life, or the lack of it, as in this case. The film is seen from Frederique's point of view, basically. All that is going on with her mother is examined by the young girl, still too young to really be able to digest the vibes she witnesses around her parents. It is also Frederique's awakening to young love, because she is attracted to her older cousin, something that is tole in subtle ways by Ms. Kurys.
The director, who wrote her own screenplay in collaboration with Alain Le Henry, examines her past with an openness that is refreshing. She handles her cast well and was rewarded with an excellent Natalie Baye as Lena. The other surprise in the film is Julie Bataille, who makes an impression as Frederique. The supporting players are wonderful in their contribution to the viewer's enjoyment of the film. Richard Berry, Vincent Lindon, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Zabou, a young Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and the young children seen as the cousins.
Philippe Sarde contributed with the score which plays in the background, mingled with pop songs of that era. The cinematography is credited to Fabio Conversi and Giuseppe Lanci, which captures the flavor of a typical summer French resort by the sea.