When Fall Is Coming – initial impressions
This breezy Chabrol-inspired rural drama by François Ozon follows an elderly woman with a tangled history as she attempts to support her family. Emulating his cinematic hero, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, French writer-director François Ozon is prolific, typically delivering a film each year. However, unlike Fassbinder, Ozon’s works lack a discernible thematic or stylistic thread, consistently hovering just above the realm of mediocrity. While his films are often engaging and skillfully crafted, they seldom inspire fervent passion.
When Fall Is Coming embodies this sentiment—a bit like the “granny cake” that its protagonist, Michelle (Hélène Vincent), bakes for visitors. Wrapped in tin foil, it serves as a comforting reminder of home. Although Ozon spices up this recipe with some sharper flavors, the overall sweetness ultimately overwhelms the other nuances.
Michelle is seen at a church service before heading home to work in her garden, picking squashes for a warm soup. Her attire—a mix of cozy sweaters, denim skirts, and sturdy boots—marks her as a quintessential country dweller in her charming cottage. She invites her close friend Marie-Claire (Josiane Balasko) to drive to the local jail for a visit with her son Vincent (Pierre Lottin). Afterwards, they embark on a mushroom-picking expedition in preparation for a surprise lunch with Michelle’s daughter and grandson.
Family plays an essential role in Michelle’s happiness, though her daughter Valérie (Ludivine Sagnier) harbors resentment towards her mother. Young Lucas (Garlan Erlos) struggles to grasp the source of this tension. However, the family gathering quickly soured when, on the first day, Michelle inadvertently serves poisonous mushrooms, nearly endangering Valérie (the only one who eats them). Ultimately, this incident leads to heightened animosities, meaning Michelle fears she may not see Lucas again.
At one point, Michelle dozes in her chair with a Ruth Rendell novel resting on her lap, hinting at where the narrative is headed in later acts. Past secrets emerge; attempts to assist friends can lead to unforeseen consequences; and the effects of nature and aging grow increasingly pronounced.
While When Fall Is Coming does navigate some intriguing and ethically ambiguous waters, Ozon consistently chooses accessible, often safe resolutions rather than embracing darker or more challenging themes. It flirts with Chabrolian sensibilities but lacks the masterful irony and biting cynicism of the original, settling instead for a more palatable, audience-friendly approach. In the end, it feels more like a comforting granny cake rather than a precarious mushroom foraging.
Published 22 Sep 2024
Tags: François Ozon, French Cinema, San Sebastian Film Festival