A young countrywoman searches for her mother in Belle Époque Paris while four of her 21st-century descendants piece together her story from the artifacts in her soon-to-be demolished house in Normandy.
A thoughtful, comic meditation on changing social mores over approximately 125 years, the epoque-shifting film re-examines some much-loved myths and images of French history, particularly from the heyday of Impressionism.
Alexis Kavyrchine’s photography brings warm pictorialism to turn-of-the-century Paris but cools off in the modern sections, while Pierre-Yves Gayraud’s costuming has a lot of fun with the rustling taffeta bustles and bonnets of yesteryear.
Cédric Klapisch delivers a true crowd-pleasing comedy of France past and present with irresistible appeal to old-school Francophiles. “The best French film I saw at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival”. Roger Gibson.
