Summer Hours

Synopsis: Hélène (Edith Scob) is celebrating her 75th birthday at her country house. With her are her daughter Adrienne (Juliette Binoche), a New York-based designer, son Frederic (Charles Berling), an economics lecturer living in Paris and second son, Jérémie (Jérémie Renier), who is  based in China. Though not ill, Helene knows her days are limited and makes her wishes known to the family. She hopes that the house, redolent with memories and endowed with museum quality art and artefacts, stays with the family for the grandchildren to one day enjoy and treasure.

The paradox for me of Summer Hours is that thematically it is very affecting and yet emotionally there was some distance that left me unable to fully engage with the characters. Visually, in terms of setting and design, it is beautiful. Opening with Hélène’s grandchildren playing in an idyllic provincial French setting we are soon made aware of the history associated with the house as Frederic proudly shows paintings by Corot to his kids, who are totally uninterested. Hélène then is at pains to point out many of the priceless artefacts including a Majorelle desk and a pair of Bracquemond vases. As she asserts that the children love the house and will come as adults, the comment is made, “Mum, it’s their childhood they love . . . they don’t want to deal with bric-a-brac of a bygone era.” And so one of the major themes of the film is put forward – what is the meaning of the past, of tradition, of family heritage, and where does the everyday fit into this? The question is raised all too soon, as Hélène suddenly dies and her three adult children must decide what is to be the fate of the house. Needless to say, they don’t see eye to eye.

Initially the film was to be one of four short films commissioned by the Musée d’Orsay for its 20^th birthday. Though now longer, the film is indelibly tied in with that iconic Parisian museum. Many of the objects featured in the film are actually from the museum’s collection, and again this gives rise to the question of exactly what do objects in a museum mean, when they are disassociated from the home and family in which they had their original residence.

Issues of today’s globalisation also loom large – since two of Helene’s three children are making their working lives overseas, they no longer feel this strong connection tying them to their family heritage and the home that was an integral part of their childhoods. And yet the teenagers who appear in the later part of the film bring it to an almost ironic conclusion as Frederic’s daughter Sylvie (Alice de Lencquesaing) begins to understand the sadness of dismantling this home where her grandmother had handed on many of her own stories, especially those to do with Uncle Paul.

Those acting the main siblings work together seamlessly, convincing us of their familial connection. Binoche as always is radiant, despite playing a more brittle character than usual. Berling and Renier bring a strong fraternal feeling to their role, whilst for trivia buffs, Clint Eastwood’s son, Kyle, plays a small role as a boyfriend. Of special note is Isabelle Sadoyan as Eloise, the long time housekeeper. She alone really brings home the true emotional impact of what it means to see the end of such an era in people’s lives and there is a delightful scene of her choosing “a small thing” as a keepsake.

There is a strong thread of melancholy infusing this lovely film. I just would have liked to have felt a little more simpatico with two of the three adults who don’t seem to realise what they are throwing away.

FYI: For thematically related material check out Louis Malle's 1990 film, Milou En Mai

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