Summer Hours (L'heure d'été)
This lyrical, Chekhovian drama brings three adult siblings together to settle the estate of their late mother (the magisterial Edith Scob). Gathering at the lovely house they must agree to keep or to sell, surrounded by the exquisite collection she herself inherited from the artist uncle she revered, they measure the weight of their mother’s wishes and each other’s. Also starring Juliette Binoche.
- Director:
- Olivier Assayas ('Irma Vep', 'Clean', 'Les destinées')
- Writer:
- Olivier Assayas
- Cast:
- Juliette BinocheCharles BerlingJérémie RenierEdith Scob
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressA family ensembler of utter simplicity, Oliver Assayas' Summer Hours is a salutory (and belated) reminder that, as with his earlier "Cold Water" and "Late August, Early September," some of this writer-director's best work comes in modest packages.
The New York Times
pressIn spite of its modest scale, tactful manner and potentially dowdy subject matter, is packed nearly to bursting with rich meaning and deep implication.
Rolling Stone
pressWriter-director Olivier Assayas crafts a near perfect blend of humor and heartbreak, a lyrical masterwork that measures loss in terms practical and evanescent.
Los Angeles Times
pressFrench films traditionally take France and its eternal appeal for granted. Summer Hours is the rare film that worries about that, worries about the future, and that proves to be invaluable.
Chicago Tribune
pressIt all comes together as formidably detailed and easy-breathing craftsmanship.
Variety
pressA family ensembler of utter simplicity, Oliver Assayas' Summer Hours is a salutory (and belated) reminder that, as with his earlier "Cold Water" and "Late August, Early September," some of this writer-director's best work comes in modest packages.
The New York Times
pressIn spite of its modest scale, tactful manner and potentially dowdy subject matter, is packed nearly to bursting with rich meaning and deep implication.
Rolling Stone
pressWriter-director Olivier Assayas crafts a near perfect blend of humor and heartbreak, a lyrical masterwork that measures loss in terms practical and evanescent.
Los Angeles Times
pressFrench films traditionally take France and its eternal appeal for granted. Summer Hours is the rare film that worries about that, worries about the future, and that proves to be invaluable.
Chicago Tribune
pressIt all comes together as formidably detailed and easy-breathing craftsmanship.
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