François Ozon’s blackly comic thriller

A retired woman of a certain age (Hélène Vincent) who wants nothing more than to look after her perfect grandson (Garlan Erlos) is devastated when her daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) refuses access to him, and all because of a silly matter of mycological errors in the delicious, the sinister and the deadly funny When autumn comes. Author and director François Ozon (Swimming pool, 8 women) offers a tonal shift towards naturalism and away from the crazy energy of his last feature film, the historical courtroom caper, with this blackly comic thriller The crime is mine.

Nonetheless, this film features a number of ozonic elements that followers of the prolific French auteur will appreciate: intentional plot holes that keep things spicy and ambiguous; Characters who seem boringly bourgeois but hide secret pasts or inclinations or both; a little touch of the supernatural; and an irony in all its forms that runs through everything. Die-hard Ozon fans will have fun arguing about exactly where this falls in the rankings of his extensive body of work, but it’s certainly somewhere in the top 10 or even the top 5, a rock-solid demonstration of his control over the storytelling that technique and his ability to get the best out of the actors.

In fact, the only thing that could be objected to is the clunky English translation of the original French title. Quand vient l’automne. Surely When autumn comes or, even better, When autumn comesSounds so much better, clearer and more impressive, doesn’t it?

The protagonist Michelle (Vincent) is certainly already in her autumn years, although she still cares about her appearance and keeps herself busy. She lives in a picturesque cottage in Burgundy and spends her days tending to her large vegetable garden and going to church on Sundays. She often drives her best friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko, who also appeared with Vincent in “Ozon’s”). By the grace of God) to prison to visit her imprisoned son Vincent (Pierre Lottin, who just won an award for best supporting actor in San Sebastian).

Ozon’s script throws subtle hints in the dialogue at Michelle and Marie-Claude’s dark past, which dates back to a time when both lived in Paris. Michelle had an apartment in the capital, but gave it to her adult daughter Valerie (Ludivine Sagnier, reunited with Ozon for the first time since). Swimming pool), living with her angelic eight- or nine-year-old son Lucas (Erlos) during a contentious divorce.

In the tight-knit first act, we see Michelle collecting mushrooms with Marie-Claude in the nearby woods as she prepares to visit Valerie and Lucas in late summer for a few weeks before the latter goes back to school. But when the two are finally there, it becomes clear that the relationship between mother and daughter is difficult. Most of the animosity comes from Valerie, the kind of person who is always fuming with a bad mood. She finds fault with everything Michelle does and even makes fun of her because she thinks Lucas will try the mushrooms she so lovingly prepared.

In the end, only Valerie eats the porcini mushrooms, and when Michelle and Lucas return from a happy walk together, they find that an ambulance has come to take Valerie to the hospital. A poisonous mushroom had gotten into the bowl, and although Valerie survived, she was burning with rage. She accuses her mother of trying to kill her, packs up Lucas and takes him back to Paris.

Heartbroken, Michelle begins sleeping late and becomes even more forgetful and sad. Blank stares suggest that dementia is setting in, but on the other hand, there are also hints that she may be more in control than she seems. Ozon’s elliptical script allows mystery to emerge, especially as the plot gains momentum as events progress. So that viewers can find out for themselves, we’re only revealing a small part of what happens afterwards and what we learn about Michelle’s backstory.

Let’s just note that the two form a strong bond when Vincent is finally released from prison and goes to work as a gardener for Michelle. Little by little we learn that Michelle and Marie-Claude were once sex workers and that Vincent instinctively wants to protect his mother and her best friend, but Valerie has never accepted this and only feels shame and disgust for her mother’s previous life. In the gap between Vincent and Valerie’s shots, Ozon (re-collaborating with Philippe Piazzo on the script) finds the friction to ignite the film’s dramatic fire – one that was sparked by a crime or a simple accident, although we never find out what’s safe for.

Perfectly timed to spark post-screening debates about whether character X or Y is guilty. When autumn comes He masterfully distributes clues and red herrings, but always holds back just one little thing. The cast does a tremendous amount of work with the smallest facial expressions, like a small pout of annoyance or disgust or an eyebrow raised just enough to convey unspoken understanding. But while Ozon and the cast cast a transparent veil over the exact plot, the emotional shifts and struggles are clearly visible, leading the film to a powerful, well-crafted climax.

Everything is just so, from the rich autumnal palette in the production and costume design to the typically sparse but impressive score by brothers Evgueni and Sacha Galperine (who seem to be everywhere from here to now). Emmanuelle To Baby reindeer at the moment).