When Fall Is Coming

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Lisa Great life stories of the human population and family’s lives affected and the secrets and judgements of our world! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/24/25 Full Review Robin C “When Fall Is Coming” Michelle (Helene Vincent) prepares for a visit by her daughter and adored grandson, picking wild mushrooms for a special meal. But, she makes a mistake and Valerie (Ludivine Sagnier) falls ill. The mistake will further estrange them and threatens her long-anticipated visit with Lucas (Garlan Erlos) is in danger in “When Fall Is Coming.” Director and co-writer Francois Ozone (with Philippe Piazo) creates a very different family film with Michelle put into turmoil when she accidentally poisons her daughter. Then, we learn that she has a past and is called into police headquarters for questioning – was it an accident or intentional. No matter what, it also means no visit with her grandson, something she has looked forward to for a long time. Valerie, from the moment we meet her, is outwardly hostile toward her mother and demands that Michelle sign over her house to her so Valerie can “save on taxes when you die.” The reason Valerie acts this way is slowly parsed out to the viewer. I will leave it at that. To say more would spoil things. Ozone has the ability to take seemingly normal life experiences and twists them a bit to make that “normal” story not so. Michelle lives her retiree’s life in Burgundy, driving her little car and giving her best friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko) a ride to the nearby prison to visit her son Vincent (Pierre Lottin). All the while, she is eagerly looking forward to having Lucas all to herself. Then, the mushroom mistake happens and her life is thrown upside down. There is wonderful chemistry between Helene Vincent’s Michelle and Balasko’s Marie-Claude, two old and dear friends who both have a questionable past. When we learn of that past, it (kind of) explains Valerie’s blatant hostility toward her mother. Michelle has bent over backwards for years to help her daughter and grandson – including giving her a Paris apartment, gratis. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. The love that Michelle feels for Lucas is palpable with her pain showing when denied the boy’s company, Francois Ozone shows, once again, his deft ability behind the camera as he puts his talented actors through their paces to elicit fine performances. Plus, there is location, location, location as the Burgundy landscape proves idyllic setting – it even includes a swan. B Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/06/25 Full Review MB C A quietly unsettling French drama that explores guilt, motherhood, and the fragile threads of family. Set against the melancholic beauty of rural France, When Fall Is Coming draws you in with its emotional restraint and layered performances—particularly from Hélène Vincent, who delivers a masterclass in internal conflict....... The film’s strength lies in its subtlety, letting silence and glances say more than words. However, its shift into thriller-like territory—with mysterious poisonings and ghostly metaphors—feels like a misstep that muddies the film’s emotional clarity...... At times too slow and overly opaque, the script walks a fine line between poetic introspection and narrative drift. Still, it remains a sincere meditation on forgiveness and the long shadow of the past..... A flawed but affecting film that lingers—like autumn itself—in quiet sorrow. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/30/25 Full Review Delsina 3 Went to see this with my daughter on Mother’s Day. I saw the trailer and thought this looked like a really smart kind of suspense movie. The acting was great. The story moved along at a snail’s pace. I kept waiting for something, anything, to justify recommending this film to my daughter. There was little suspense and no resolution - leaving viewers to ponder, i.e., it was so boring they had to leave it to the imagination of the viewers hoping it had some meaning. Don’t believe the pretentious hype, this movie is bad. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 05/15/25 Full Review Audience Member This is a quiet thought provoking film, about friendship, loyalty and family ties. The sharply observed depiction of life in rural France is rich with detail and realism. In one scene, with no background music, we simply see Michelle laying the table in readiness for her daughter’s visit. She potters around busily for several minutes, and it is surprisingly compelling. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/04/25 Full Review Jean L. L A lot of questions, no clear answers. Anyway , if you watch and listen closefully, à lot is given. Real life exploding softly in a quiet village of Burgundy, baguette and béret shaped. Anyway, nobody jokes with wine, love or hate of humanity. The choice contribues to the compréhension. Almost asiatic, on some side. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/07/24 Full Review Read all reviews

When Fall Is Coming

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