When Fall is Coming

(aka When Autumn Falls, or Quand vient l’automne)

AroView: A compelling French drama-comedy-mystery with a theme that coincides with a certain Australian ‘mushroom murder’ trial, though this goes off on a different tangent that we’re not about to spoil here.

Sometimes feeling like an on-form Almodovar film dressed in Burgundy cottage core, Hélène Vincent and Josiane Balasko are both wonderful as two world-weary besties whose adult children are still giving them headaches and heartache in their advanced years. Masterfully plotted and directed with a restrained touch by Francois Ozon, it’s one of the prolific director’s finest films. ★★★★

“This spry little French-language picture, which delights in subverting our expectations and leaves us with teasing questions about culpability and a crime, shows the director at his most understated, the better to foreground the excellent, intriguingly layered performance from Hélène Vincent.” ~Wendy Ide, The Observer

“Hardcore Ozon fans will have fun arguing about where exactly this falls in the ranking of his substantial body of work, but it’s surely somewhere in the top 10 or even the top five, a rock-solid demonstration of his control over storytelling, technique and ability to get the best from actors.” ~Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter