Summer Hours (2008)
"L'heure d'été" (original title)

Two brothers and a sister witness the disappearance of their childhood memories when they must relinquish the family belongings to ensure their deceased mother's succession.

Director:

Olivier Assayas

Writer:

Olivier Assayas

Stars:

Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, Jérémie Renier

11 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juliette Binoche	...	Adrienne
Charles Berling	...	Frédéric
Jérémie Renier	...	Jérémie
Edith Scob	...	Hélène
Dominique Reymond	...	Lisa
Valérie Bonneton	...	Angela
Isabelle Sadoyan	...	Éloïse
Kyle Eastwood	...	James
Alice de Lencquesaing	...	Sylvie
Emile Berling	...	Pierre
Jean-Baptiste Malartre	...	Michel Waldemar
Gilles Arbona	...	Maître Lambert
Eric Elmosnino	...	Le commissaire de police
Marc Voinchet	...	Présentateur radio
Sara Martins	...	Atachée de presse

Storyline

In a small town, Hélène is a family matriarch who has devoted her life to preserving the legacy of her artist uncle. However, while her eldest son, Frédéric, wants to preserve her home after her passing, she harbors no such illusions as she prepares her legacy. After her death, her children realize what she anticipated as they come to terms with their inheritance's place in their own lives. In the resulting disposition of their mother's assets, treasured heirlooms of a romantic family past drift away even as their changing modern world confronts the value of their memories.

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Plot Keywords:

memory | childhood memory | inheritance | children | death | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MK2 [fr] Official site

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

5 March 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Summer Hours

Box Office

Budget:

€4,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$49,484 (USA) (15 May 2009)

Gross:

$1,641,025 (USA) (21 August 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, France 3 Cinéma, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The shape of Adrienne's apple and the discoloration marks from oxidization change repeatedly during the conversation with her brothers.

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Quotes

Éloïse: He said to choose anything. l couldn't take advantage. l took something ordinary. What would l do with something valuable?

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Connections

Remade as Summer Hours

User Reviews

Money or love?

This is a haunting film about the distorting effects of monetary exchange on family life and the cohesion of society. It will give food for thought to anyone with elderly parents who may have accumulated a few works of art during their lifetime. At a time of grief, the bereaved have difficult questions to answer. The film-goer is left wondering, "What would I have done if I had been in a similar situation?" It is not a film to be quickly forgotten. Although the issue of the fate of the family's country house may be a specifically French theme, others dealt with are more universal and have a deep resonance for anyone with elderly relations. Juliette Binoche may be the name that draws film-goers in, but there is fine acting from all the performers.