Review of Summer Hours (2008) by Hossein N — 12 Aug 2010

I have mixed feelings concerning people who get too precious about art, and it appears Assayas does as well. At least, his position here is hard to nail down. The characters have differing attitudes about art and objects, their monetary value, their sentimental value, and their utility.

Assayas makes neither villain nor hero out of any of them... except perhaps a loving fondness for the housekeeper, apparently the only person in the entire film not coming from a position of wealth and privilege.

The vase she takes as a keepsake is entirely for reasons of emotional attachment, she has no clue (nor reason to believe) that it is a "valuable" work of art. And despite the complex presentation of varied attitudes, I think this is the heart of the movie -- that art's primarily value is its human value.

I also found a lot of heart in the film's coda, a lively tribute to the youth who who bring a new selection of attitudes, some of whom will no doubt become artists themselves, whose vitality imbues art and objects with meaning.

At least, I hope that was the intent. As I said, it's not entirely clear what Assayas is getting at, but it's a beautiful and intriguing work nonetheless.