Summary
Too old to live by herself, Berthe moves in with her daughter, Emile, who is married with
grown-up children of her own. Emile’s husband resents the intrusion, but the situation
is aggravated when Emile’s brother, Antoine visits for Christmas. Emile and Antoine
have not spoken to each other for three years and old quarrels are resurrected.
Upset, Berthe decides to return to her home. Emile and Antoine agree to this but
soon realise that they must co-operate to help their dying mother. In so doing,
they rediscover a profound mutual kinship.
Review
This is an impressive film which succeeds admirably in exploring a complex brother-sister
relationship in middle-age. During his career as a film director, Téchiné
has acquired a gift for creating films with very complex, yet believable, characters,
and some of his later films succeed mainly on this one point. He is also very astute
in his choice of casting, which he demonstrates in Ma saison préférée
by giving the lead roles of Emile and Antoine to Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil,
two superlative actors with a proven track-record of film successes.
Indeed, the casting seems so appropriate that you might think that the film was written
with these two actors in mind – it seems to play so well on their strengths. Auteuil
is captivating as the slightly cynical, detached bachelor, and one of the few French male
actors capable of crying convincingly. For her part, Deneuve represents sophistication
and charm, built on very shaky foundations – a woman struggling to repress her pent-up
emotions, yet seemingly incapable of finding a way to articulate her inner-most feelings.
These are roles which Auteuil and Deneuve have taken on may times before, but rarely as
successfully as in this film. They also have an edgy on-screen rapport which really
does look as if they are brother and sister. (By contrast, the two could probably
never be convincingly cast as lovers.)
In addition to some formidable acting, the film succeeds in other areas. It has
great depth and shows profound maturity, perceptiveness and understanding of human relationships.
All characters appear convincing, three-dimensional - and faintly neurotic.
The constantly evolving nature of the relationships between the characters is probably
what gives the film its sense of authenticity. All to often in cinema, relationships
are portrayed as static, immutable, whereas in real life, relationships are in a perpetual
state of flux. This is shown not just in the fluctuating relationship between Emile
and Antoine, but also in their interactions with other characters: their mother, Emile’s
husband and children.
The film also makes a touching comment on the deleterious effect that the pressures of
modern living can have on family life. Berthe cannot ask her son to take her in
because he lives alone in a one-bedroom flat. Emile’s career-centric attitude
leaves her little time for her children or romance – hence her family falls apart.
Antoine, committed to his work as a brain specialist, has no place for love in his
life – hence no wife. Consequently, in this soulless world, Berthe dies alone –
a cold, clinical death. A natural death – presented from a tragic point of view.
The life that Berthe represented, the family life of her past, dies with her. Her
descendants are condemned to a life of individualism and instant gratification.
It is a powerful message which Téchiné gets across well, without labouring
the point.
© James Travers 2000
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