I recently saw the new French movie Summer Hours (French title, L’heure d’été) at my local arthouse cinema http://www.cinemaartscentre.org/009/09May/CAC-SummerHours.htm. Directed by Olivier Assayas, it begins with the grown children of an elderly woman gathering with their families at the family home outside Paris. She has devoted herself to the memory, works and possessions of a deceased relative, an artist named Berthier.
She tries to get her oldest child, Frederic, an economist, to think of what needs to be done and her wishes after death. He will hear none of it and denies the likelihood of her death. She tells him that the house will need to be sold. He wants to keep the house.
A seamless transition is made to a time following her death. Frederic gathers with his brother and sister, who both live outside France. He is astounded and disappointed that they do not want to keep the house and that their lives do not revolve around the twice-yearly gatherings at the house. Nor does he consider that gathering at the house has to do with visiting their mother.
The trio find that the estate taxes practically force them to sell and that the state policy of export permits for art and antiques prevent them from realizing gains that might have allowed them to keep the house. They are practically forced to "donate" items to the state (the Musee d’Orsay).
What is striking and unusual is that although Frederic is disappointed that his siblings and he will not keep the house for their children, he goes along with his siblings. This may be realistic, but it does not make for exciting storytelling. No conflict pretty much equals no drama. The excellent performances by Charles Berling and Juliette Binoche cannot rescue the filmgoer from boredom.
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