Director Francois Ozon keeps us guessing in “When Fall Is Coming” (104 minutes, at Cape Cinema).
A woman stands on a balcony. A man walks toward her. Is something awful about to occur?
Ozon cuts away from the scene. We’ll have to wait to find out. Maybe.
A mother makes mushrooms for her daughter. The daughter is poisoned. Was this intentional? Ozon lets the question linger.
Ozon starts the movie with a priest reading a biblical passage about Mary Magdalene. This leads to a modern-day story about sins past and present. It considers what can be forgiven and what cannot. But what, exactly, is the point? Ozon leaves it to us to decide.
The writer-director’s deliberate vagueness might frustrate some moviegoers, but it also might be the film’s greatest strength, as it requires our participation in putting the puzzle together and finding meaning in it all..
Helen Vincent and Pierre Lottin appear in a scene from “When Fall Is Coming.” (Music Box Films)
Ozon has been one of France’s most prolific, acclaimed filmmakers of the 21st century. Among my favorites of his work: “Frantz,” “Everything Went Fine,” “Swimming Pool” and “5×2.” “When Fall Is Coming” is yet another impressive addition to his filmography.
Helene Vincent plays Michelle Giraud, an elderly woman enjoying a comfortable, retired life with her best friend and neighbor, Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko). Michelle eagerly anticipates a summer with her young grandson, Lucas (Garlan Erlos), but her bitter daughter, Valerie (Ludivine Sagnier), cancels plans after she is poisoned by one of Michelle’s meals.
Heartbroken, Michelle finds some comfort when she hires Marie-Claude’s son, Vincent (Pierre Lottin), who’s just been released from prison, as a handyman/gardener. But this leads to further, darker complications involving her daughter.
Among the questions this story asks:
How do we judge ourselves and others?
Do good intentions excuse sinful acts?
What can or can’t be forgiven, and how do we know one from the other?
And are we in a position to judge? ***½ (out of four)
This just in …
Ari Aster and Murray Bartlett are set to pick up big awards at this year’s Provincetown International Film Festival.
Now in its 27th edition, the festival will run June 11-15.
Ari Aster, Filmmaker on the Edge. (Eamonn M. McCormack)
The fest will honor Aster, director of “Hereditary,” “Midsommer” and “Beau Is Afraid,” with its Filmmaker on the Edge award. Bartlett, an Emmy winner for his work on “The White Lotus,” will receive the Excellence in Acting Award.
“Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror” – about the stage musical “The Rocky Horror Show” and the cult classic film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” – will open the festival.
The closing-night film offers a more local flavor: “Spiritus: No Business Like Dough Business,” a doc about Spiritus Pizza and Ice Cream. (I usually visit Spiritus multiple times while covering the festival; its pizza is soooo good.)
“Hurricanna,” a narrative film about Anna Nicole Smith, and documentaries about Jayne Mansfield, Marlee Matlin and Jeff Buckley also are on the lineup.
Tickets for pass holders and Provincetown Film Society members go on sale May 16, general-public tickets on May 23.
More information: provincetownfilm.org.
Short takes
Starring in “The Thunderbolts*”: from left, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova,, Wyatt Russell as John Walker and David Harbour as Red Guardian. (Disney/Marvel Studios)
“Thunderbolts*” (PG-13, 126 minutes, in theaters). When it comes to goofy Marvel anti-hero teams, I’ll take Guardians of the Galaxy any day; Rocket, Groot and company are a lot funnier and a lot more fun than the Thunderbolts. But this group should do OK moving forward, even if its first entry lacks a wow factor. Starring Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, (the late) Black Widow’s younger sister; Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, the original Captain America’s sidekick; David Harbour as Red Guardian, Yelena’s gregarious pop; Wyatt Russell as John Walker, a kind of second-rate Captain America; Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost (not very spooky); and Lewis Pullman as … Bob. **½
“The Accountant 2” (R, 132 minutes, in theaters). As you might guess from the “2” in the title, this is a sequel, with Ben Affleck returning as autistic accountant/money launderer/all-around badass Christian Wolff. Christian gets involved in a FinCen investigation and uncovers a human trafficking network. Christian’s loose-cannon brother, hitman Braxton (Jon Bernthal), joins him in taking on all comers. Though in many ways a typical action film, “The Accountant 2” rises above the pack, including the original “Accountant,” thanks to the Affleck-Bernthal pairing and their comedic sibling banter. ***
“Another Simple Favor” (R, 120 minutes, streaming on Prime Video). As you might guess from the “another” in the title, this, too, is a sequel, with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively returning as frenemies from the first film. This time vlogger Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) is coerced into serving as maid-of-honor at the Capri wedding of her nemesis, ruthless con artist Emily Nelson (Lively), who has been released from prison on appeal. The first “Simple Favor” was much better with its balance of suspense and humorous verbal jousting. This go-round, the Italian scenery and the Kendrick-Lively repartee are pluses, but returning director Paul Feig places too much emphasis on silliness to go with the increasingly absurd plot. **½
** Click here for Tim Miller’s previous movie columns for Cape Cod Wave **
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Tim Miller, Movie Critic
Tim Miller is co-president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a Tomatometer-approved critic. He teaches film and journalism at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or follow him onTwitter @TimMillerCritic. Or you can ignore him completely.
