Summer Hours

Summer Hours (French: L'Heure d'été) is a 2008 French drama film written and directed by Olivier Assayas. It is the second in a series of films produced by the Musée d'Orsay, after Flight of the Red Balloon. In the film, two brothers and a sister witness the disappearance of their childhood memories when they must relinquish the family belongings after the death of their mother. The film was a critical triumph in the United States.

"L'Heure d'été" redirects here. For the album by Marc Lavoine, see L'Heure d'été (album).
Summer Hours
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOlivier Assayas
Written byOlivier Assayas
Produced byCharles Gillibert
Marin Karmitz
Nathanaël Karmitz
StarringJuliette Binoche
Charles Berling
Jérémie Renier
Kyle Eastwood
CinematographyEric Gautier
Edited byLuc Barnier
Distributed byMK2 Films
Release date
  • 5 March 2008 (2008-03-05)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Budget$3.4 million
Box office$2.7 million[1]

Plot

On a summer day in the country, at the home of the widowed Hélène Berthier, who has dropped her married name of Marly, her three children, their spouses, and all her grandchildren assemble for her 75th birthday. Her preoccupation is over what will happen to the house and the valuable contents accumulated by her uncle Paul Berthier, who was a noted artist and to whom she was devoted. She hopes the children will decide amicably among themselves.

Shortly after she dies, and the three heirs do not agree. While Frédéric, the eldest, wants to keep the house and contents as somewhere for the whole family, his two siblings just want a few mementoes and everything else turned into cash. Adrienne lives in New York with an American man, while Jérémie and his wife have made their home in China.

As Hélène made no legal provision, tax on the estate will be heavy and the lawyer suggests reducing it by donating artefacts to the State. The Musée d'Orsay agrees to take some precious items for its collection, following which the remaining contents are auctioned and the house sold. Before the new owners take over, Frédéric's daughter Sylvie asks all her school friends there for a final party and for one last time the place is full of happy young people. The faithful housekeeper takes fresh flowers to Hélène's grave.

Cast

Production

Principal photography began in Paris on 4 June 2007 and was completed on 27 July 2007. The film was known under the working titles Souvenirs du Valois and Printemps Passé.

Release

The film received its United States premiere on October 1, 2008, at the 46th New York Film Festival.[2] The Criterion Collection released a special edition of the film on April 20, 2010.[3]

Reception

Summer Hours was a critical triumph. It received 93% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes,[4] and was one of the most highly decorated foreign-language films in the United States in 2009. The film won and was nominated for numerous critics' awards:

Édith Scob was nominated for a César Award for her portrayal of Hélène.

In 2017 the film was named the ninth "Best Film of the 21st Century So Far" by The New York Times.[5]

References
  1. "L'heure d'été (Summer Hours) (2008) - JPBox-Office". www.jpbox-office.com. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  2. Peterson, Matt (February 2009). "Review: The 46th New York Film Festival". The Evergreen Review.
  3. "Review: The 46th New York Film Festival". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  4. "L'Heure d'été (Summer Hours) (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  5. Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A. O. (9 June 2017). "The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century...So Far". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
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