When Autumn Falls

Ever-inventive French auteur François Ozon (8 Women, Swimming Pool, Potiche, Frantz) returns with a twisty, bittersweet story about age, youth, the past and the art of breaking the rules.

In a picturesque Burgundy village, Michelle (Hélène Vincent) is enjoying rural retirement close to her old friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko). Relations with her daughter are strained, but when Marie-Claude’s son arrives on the scene, the picture becomes more complex. At once a character portrait, a study of intergenerational tensions and a tense drama with a thriller tangent, this is one of Ozon’s more realist films – until it isn’t. Elegant, slippery storytelling, daring tonal shifts and Vincent’s terrific lead performance make When Autumn Falls a really delightful watch. 

This is a French language film and will be subtitled.

This title has been programmed with Eastbourne Film Society. The screening on Saturday 17 May will be introduced by Mansel Stimpson, Chair of EFS.