The melancholy of coming of age is captured within the whimsically darkish “Bonjour Tristesse,” primarily based on Françoise Sagan’s 1954 novella whose title interprets to “Hiya, Unhappiness.”
“Palm Timber and Energy Traces” standout star Lily McInerny performs 18-year-old Cécile who’s vacationing together with her father Raymond (Claes Bang) and his lover Elsa (Naïlia Harzoune). Nevertheless, their summer season takes a twisted flip when Anne (Chloë Sevigny), a buddy of Cécile’s late mom, drives down from Paris to pay the household a go to.
Because the synopsis teases, “Cécile’s world is threatened and, determined to regain management, she units in movement a plan to drive Anne away with tragic penalties. The three embark on an unbelievable journey of deceit, lust, compassion, and unconditional love in opposition to the backdrop of an unforgettable French summer season.” Aliocha Schneider additionally stars.
“Bonjour Tristesse” is author/director Durga Chew-Bose’s directorial debut; the movie premiered at 2024 TIFF.
The IndieWire evaluate in contrast the chilly lushness of “Bonjour Tristesse” to a “reminiscence,” with Kate Erbland writing, “It’s as if we’re trapped in a photograph album of no matter Cécile occurs to recollect from that summer season, a mish-mash of delightfully hazy moments and stilted, mannered strains. [Director] Chew-Bose leans closely on not simply the look of this season, all beautiful gentle and excellent framing, but in addition its sounds. Butter scraping a bit of toast. A knife reducing cleanly by way of an apple. A smacking kiss. It doesn’t really feel fairly actual, nor does it really feel linked on a scene by scene foundation. It’s no matter has drifted into Cécile’s thoughts, which we come to suspect is kind of empty.”
The evaluate continues, “Chew-Bose’s energy lies in her persistence, as her script isn’t in any respect afraid to lull her viewers right into a state of not fairly boredom, however at the very least ennui (the French! once more!) earlier than oh-so-gently steering us into a way more stunning, and finally satisfying house. Whereas a lot of the movie appears to be filtered by way of the haze of reminiscence (and, later, remorse), the feelings at its coronary heart slowly click on into place over the course of the movie. The teachings, too.”
The movie is produced by Babe Nation Movies’ Lindsay Tapscott and Katie Chicken Nolan, and Elevation Photos.
“Bonjour Tristesse” premieres Might 2 in choose theaters from Greenwich Leisure. Take a look at the trailer beneath.