Un beau matin

Beautifully written and directed french drama about the possibility or impossibility of love in different relations, for a lover, a child, a father.

I loved the bitter sweet story, explored here with tenderness, lightness, humour and melancholy, reminding me of the best achievements of french cinema by Sautet or Lelouch in the 60s and 70s. Chemistry between Seydoux, who I never found acting more subtle and intense, and Poupaud with great sensitivity, works ideally. Pascal Greggory, one of the greatest french actors of his generation, gives a very touching performance as a father desperately fighting for his dignity against a mind threatening lethal disease, I also loved the natural performance of the little girl playing Seydoux' daughter.

There's hope in the end and we all know again what it's worth living for! Strongly recommended.

I liked this movie because I like Lea Seydoux, like the subdued yet deep acting of French actors and their stories, yet struggled to understand how it ended and what the point was. It felt like I rode a bus and really enjoying the ride, waiting to reach the final destination, only to get there and not remember why I went, to begin with. I struggle, even now, to make it to the requisite 600 words to create a review, because that is the point-- I do not know what else to say. I am by no means dull and have a penchant for watching international movies that are quite gems, but did not see what the whole point at the end was. I did thoroughly enjoy the characters of this movie. Lea is, as always, an outstanding actress.

This is the best movie I have seen in the cinema so far this year, followed by 'Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom' and 'Piccolo Corpo'.

The story looks simple, but because of the wonderful acting performances of all, especially of Lea Seydoux (much better in this genre of films than in all her Hollywood period), 'Un beau matin' is - in my opinion - already a timeless classic drama.

It's the kind of film that only European countries can make, and it's even more a typical French film. 'Un beau matin' is a very honest and beautiful movie, not bound by time or space. It's a timeless story.

The movie is especially good because the storyline is disarmedly strong and honest, with restrained emotions.

The film is made even more beautiful and stronger by the many silent moments between the dialogues. There is also not too much talking, which I always like a lot.

The expression on Lea Seydoux's face, who plays Sandra (a widow and mother of one daughter), says a lot more than some emotional tantrum.

And then there is the wonderful music of Schubert and the recurring beautiful music of Jan Johansson. Many thanks to director Mia Hansen-Løve for letting me get to know this Swedish pianist, what a discovery!

In the small hall of the small cinema everyone sat full of admiration and listened to the music till the last letters of the final credits were gone.

"Sandra" (Léa Seydoux) is at a crossroads in her life. Her ageing, academic, father (the scene-dominating Pascal Greggory) has been diagnosed with a neuro-degenerative disease that is pretty much robbing him of his quality of life. He is an acclaimed philosopher who finds his increasing lack of ability to think and to remember exasperating. Meantime, she also reconnects with her old friend "Clément" (Melvil Poupaud). He delights in being called a cosmo-chemist (he studies meteoric dust using a rather impressive mass spectrometer). It's clear from the outset that these two have the hots for each other and, despite the fact that he is married with a young son, they embark of quite a lively affair. She is juggling her affection for him while struggling to find an adequate facility for her father; he is having a crisis of conscience as he falls more deeply in love but has his own family to consider. That's about the height of it. Even with the underlying - and rather depressing - analysis of the care provision for her elderly and increasingly failing father adding some gravitas to the film, the story itself is all a rather lacklustre drama centred around two people who are actually quite selfish. They both have responsibilities and as you'd expect, as their relationship develops, these become predictable millstones that we can anticipate all too readily. It has aspects of a soap to it, and though both leads are easy on the eye, I don't think either really have enough here to allow their characters to develop nor to really engage with an audience that has seen this sort of narrative unfold many, many, times before. It looks good - the filming and performances from the younger children are very natural, but at the end I was wondering what was different here. It will work fine on the television, but I doubt I will remember much about it in a fortnight.

My Impressions:

Léa Seydoux's outstandingly natural acting and Melvil Poupaud's intimate chemistry with her character made "One Fine Morning" feel meaningful, relatable, and special.

This French movie captured a lot of life's simple moments. I suggest watching it with subtitles, if you don't speak the language.

Smart pacing made the story run smoothly from one scene to the next. Together, each sequence built upon the themes that came before it and stirred deep emotions, like a favourite piece of music is known to do.

Sandra was a widow and took care of her daughter as well as her mentally challenged father, who had a neurodegenerative disease called Benson Syndrome. She was drawn to a single dad named Clément, whom she used to know back in the day.

Tender love, earnest longing, and the need to balance those with their own personal lives - and the people already in them - defined Clément and Sandra's character arcs in this quintessentially French film.

A classic continental style graced the romance and desire angles in "One Fine Morning". These were elegantly counterbalanced by themes relating to family, hope, confusion, frustration, and loss.

The movie was not slow, rather carefully paced. In fact, "Un Beau Matin" ("One Fine Morning") was a great example of what real filmmaking is all about. It dignified its characters by properly portraying their humanity and telling their stories in no uncertain terms.

Hair-makeup and costume design were great. Art direction and set decoration were good. Editing and sound effects were notable. Music and Cinematography was engaging. Screenplay and Direction were amazing.