When Autumn Falls Review
Dramas in film can go in one of two directions: they can be grounded to the point of almost reaching realism in the vein of something like Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You, or they can lean more into melodrama territory, similar to Todd Hayne’s May December. However, sometimes a film can come along and try a bit of both without veering too far in either direction. This seems to be the approach that French auteur François Ozon has gone with for his new film When Autumn Falls.
Grandmother Michelle (Hélène Vincent) is enjoying a peaceful retirement in a quiet Burgundy village, close to her best friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko). However, when her daughter Valérie (Ludivine Sagnier) drops off her grandson Lucas (Garlan Erlos) for their week together, everything begins to unravel. As Michelle navigates the complexities of her strained relationship with Valérie, further unexpected tensions arise when Vincent (Pierre Lottin), Marie-Claude’s son, is released from prison.
When Autumn Falls is a deceptively simple little film that always has a trick or two up its sleeve, which is what makes it engaging in the long run. Ozon starts things off as straightforward and mundane as a drama can get, but once the inciting incident occurs, it is only a matter of time before truths are revealed and relationships become more complicated than first thought.
The drama within never quite reaches the boiling point you would expect, as it tends to focus more on character reactions and their shifting dynamics, this is where Ozon leans into melodrama territory. The tone remains consistent throughout the entirety of its 103-minute runtime, which perfectly lays the groundwork for darker elements to lay just under the surface, waiting for their moment to come to the forefront but always staying at arms reach.
To some, this may seem disappointing or even misleading, but the film makes it clear from the word go that a brooding, thriller tone is not what it is setting out to achieve. The family drama comes first, and these subtle dips into more sinister themes feel more like something extra that wasn’t expected but is more than welcome.
This balancing act of tones is strengthened by the cast, who all give great performances here. Hélène Vincent is especially noteworthy as a lot of the twists and turns of the story purely rest on her interactions with other characters and how she chooses to react to given situations. When she needs to be an endearing and worrying grandmother figure, she can, but she is also able to bring out a more deceptive side to Michelle that gives her added depth as the main point of view for the film.
As much as this film gets right, it can struggle in the pacing department occasionally. Occasionally, things can move slowly, whilst other scenes can feel more urgent. This shift can come from the tones it is attempting to work around and is only noticeable during a few specific moments, but once it is noticed, it can be hard not to ignore. This, thankfully, never breaks the film in any way as, for the most part, the film knows what it is and sticks to it, but it may creep into the back of your head as it reaches its closing moments.
François Ozon delivers a fairly engaging film that is never quite as it seems. There are layers upon layers to these characters and their intentions, which instantly makes it a lot more investing than your typical family drama and will keep audiences coming back to it in the future. Though it does fall short in one or two areas, there’s no denying that fans of Ozon’s work are going to have a field day with When Autumn Falls, as it always has a surprise around every corner, even if it is done in a very nuanced manner.
★★★ 1/2
In UK cinemas March 21st / Josiane Balasko, Garlan Erlos, Hélène Vincent, Ludivine Sagnier, Pierre Lottin / Dir: François Ozon / Parkland / 15
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