Review of Summer Hours (2008) by Dustin J — 20 Nov 2010

Summer Hours (L'Heure D'ete) (Criterion).

Director: Olivier Assayas.

Writer: Olivier Assayas.

Mains: Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling and Jérémie Renier.

"The Critically Acclaimed Best Foreign Film of 09".

Plot: 3 siblings must agree and what to do with their mother's estate and valuable belongings that she left behind after her death. Challenged with many decisions these siblings will find a way to make it work even though they face the cold emotional feeling of their recently passed mother.

My Take: Summer Hours is warm and beautiful shot film. Some of the shots of their Summer home is worth the view alone. It was surprisingly overwhelming seeing this film for what its worth. There are many questions I still have about the overall meaning of the film. Especially the end, I kinda felt like her granddaughter was kinda walking in the same footsteps as her grandmother? Besides that I will never forget a couple scenes that grabbed my full attention and also made my eyes water. This film is very warm and slow paced but rewarding. The acting and direction are all good to go so you feel where they are coming from for the most part.

Conclusion: A treat indeed but I don't know how often I will watch this movie. My mom passed recently so it really hurts to see this film. Its so emotional at times and you really feel the authenticity from the actor/actresses. The music is very delightful and as I mentioned some to the beautiful scenes are unforgettable. While this film didnt take a huge toll on me I will still give it another shot to understand some of the meaning. Overall its a nice well made warm flick that will really bring your eyes to the beauty of art. The fact that its critically acclaimed over Slumdog Millionaire?? I cant agree, Slumdog had a very interesting story and this movie was just a little piece of art. Not to take anything away from it but I think Slumdog won fair and square.

Recommended.

4/5.