Un bel mattino

"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.

One Fine Morning - Un beau matin (2022) is a romantic drama film written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve, starring Léa Seydoux, Pascal Greggory, Melvil Poupaud and Nicole Garcia. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, winning the Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film. It tells the story of Sandra (Seydoux), a widow and translator who cares for her father, Georg (Greggory), a former philosophy teacher with neurodegenerative disease. She meets Clément (Poupaud), a married chemical cosmologist who has returned from a work expedition at the North Pole, and they start an affair.

The film explores the themes of love, loss, memory and mortality through the parallel stories of Sandra and Georg. Sandra is trying to cope with her grief and loneliness while also facing the challenges of finding a suitable nursing home for her father, who is gradually losing his cognitive and sight abilities. Georg struggles to hold on to his identity and dignity as he experiences hallucinations and confusion. He often talks about his girlfriend, Leila, whom he met in Algeria during the war. Clément is a catalyst for Sandra's emotional awakening, as he shows her a different perspective on life and science. He takes her to his lab, where he studies the origin of the universe and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

The film is shot beautifully by Denis Lenoir, who captures the contrast between the urban and natural landscapes and the changing seasons. The score by Nicolas Godin is subtle and atmospheric, enhancing the film's mood. The acting is superb, especially by Seydoux and Greggory, who convey their characters' complex emotions with nuance and sensitivity. Seydoux portrays Sandra as a strong but vulnerable woman torn between her duty and desire. Greggory delivers a heartbreaking performance as Georg, who is aware of his condition but tries to maintain his sense of humour and curiosity.

The pace could be faster and more varied; some scenes feel unnecessary or repetitive. The dialogue is lacking in naturalism and spontaneity. The relationship between Sandra and Clément is not very convincing or compelling, as they lack chemistry and depth. The film also avoids addressing ethical and moral issues, such as the impact on their respective families.

One Fine Morning - Un beau matin (2022) is a touching and thoughtful film that deals with universal themes realistically and humanly. It is not a typical romantic drama but a meditation on life, death, love, and memory. It is a film that will make you feel both sad and hopeful, as it shows the beauty and fragility of human existence.

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.

This female director, guilty of this terrific little drama, has alreaady commited other ones of this kind. So realistic stories, so close to real life, always pulled by awesome, convincing performances. Lea Seydoux, Pascal Gregory, Melvil Poupaud, Nicole Garcia...A dream team in a cast to tell a so gripping, but also painful story about love, the end of life. It is impossible to stay cold blooded, iced, watching such a story. Impossible not to love such a film. I highly prefer seeing this than a most of crime flicks; and I am a great crime movies lover. But French dramas of this kind, I will never get tired of them. Never.

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.