Most of us will never have this problem when our parents pass on – I know I didn’t – but sure, we’ll have to all sell or divide their belongings…except it won’t be because mom has a few Corot paintings in the diningroom that belong in the Musee D’Orsay of Paris! And that’s just what this movie is about. Three siblings – Frederic (Charles Berning), Jeremie (Jermemie Rainer) and Adriene (Juliette Binoche) must come to terms with relinquishing their childhood past by following their mother’s wishes. But beyond that, they’re French, so while the movie is also sub-titled, it’s also very sane. Never in America would three siblings calmly dispute whether to keep the old summer house or sell because one of us want it, one is relocating to China and the other lives in New York. The mother makes it very clear that her grandchildren won’t want “all this brick a brack” from another generation either. Yet the person most attached to the home and who draws the most laughs from the audience is Eloise (Isabelle Sadoyan) – the housekeeper – for reasons you’ll soon find apparent. And so the story becomes a poignant little film about carrying out the wishes of a dead person without sacrificing the lives of the living. Some secrets involving an Uncle Paul unravel as the estate is settled, too. It’s just a beautiful film – and that is how to best sum it up, merci beaucoup. Four tiaras
