Un beau matin

There are challenges that your life has had presented, large hurdles that have left you less contented, after becoming a young widow, there's just you and a young kiddo, and now your fathers progressively, getting more demented. But those close all lend a hand and give support, as your father's moved around from port to port, an old friend becomes much more, becoming someone you adore, though he's married, and you're not sure if he'll abort.

The perpetually magnifique Léa Seydoux plays Sandra, as she juggles a child, an aging father and a new lover, in a tale that might hit home if you have connections in part or in whole with her plight, but ultimately is a pretty ordinary affair or variation on often encountered themes.

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.

I want to describe this film as getting a big hug from the most important person in your life, the one you haven't seen in a long time. There's such warmth mixed with longing. This film is a series of ebbs and flows. Happy and sad - all wrapped up in a beautiful package. You peek into Sandra's life, go on walks around Paris with her, watch her worry about the state of her dad, and let her find solace in the arms of a married man. Emotions live in every frame of this film. Every moment plays with no judgment. Sandra is you or me or anyone, and she's living her life in the best way that she can.

While this may not appeal to many people's tastes, I believe it's a film that can bring out a familiar memory out of everyone: the double-edged sword of caring for the people we love.

Mia Hansen-Love's new film "Un beau matin" tells the story of a single mother, played by the fantastic Léa Seydoux, who has to take care of her sick father after he has been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease. At the same time, she falls in love for the first time after the death of her daughter's father a few years back. "Un Beau Matin" is a very conventional Parisian drama, which nonetheless unfolds quickly with a strong energy which makes it stand out from similar films.

Hansen-Love explores love in different variations by switching almost episodically between the protagonist's three relationships: the alienated father who's not able to recognise her after a while, the lover who is cheating on his wife and her daughter whom she has to raise alone. In all these relationships, the film searches for moments of truth, and it finds them, for example in a beautiful scene in which the protagonist explains to her daughter how and why she recognises her father rather in his books than when she actually spends time with him.

It's a film full of honesty and comprehension, and Léa Seydoux is as usual fantastic at embodying the young woman who is torn between the three relationships, trying to fulfil their expectations while suffering themselves from the difficulties. In quiet but meaningful scenes, Mia Hansen-Love deals with the sickness of her own father by humanising the decision of letting go for the sake of others, and ultimately yourself.