The South of France, 1915: 74-year-old Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet) still paints every day, despite the pains of old age and the loss of his dear wife. The arrival of a new 15-year-old model, Andrée (Christa Theret), brings an incandescent energy into the household, inspiring not only Renoir le père’s painting but also stirring the passions of les filses Jean (Vincent Rottiers) and Claude (Thomas Doret). Against the backdrop of World War I, the film locates a fascinating moment of change, one century’s way of thinking giving way to the next, and the passing of the torch from a great painter to the great filmmaker of such classics as Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game. (111 mins.)
Selected Filmography: A Sight For Sore Eyes (03), Afterwards (08)
Featured as the Closing Night Film of the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.
Sponsored by Your Own French Home, the Alliance Française de Portland, and TV5Monde.
FILM REVIEW
Interests:
Narrative Feature,
French Language,
Art,
History.