A lovely and engrossing slice of life film.
This movie is in many ways the film equivalent of a nice vacation. When the movie ended I didn't want to leave, I wanted to spend more time with these lovely people in this lovely place. The cinematography (by Rui Poças) and locations are incredible. There was never a moment I could look away from the screen as I was overcome by the visual beauty in front of me. The characters are fantastic as well. Perfect for this movie, they are people we would like to spend time with. They have completely well thought out personalities that are complex while remaining extremely likable. The dialogue is equally fantastic. They talk about the little everyday things that we all talk about. However underneath this is a hidden depth, especially when it comes to the movie's theme of Frankie accepting her own mortality. This is all enhanced by how fantastic this movie's cast is. There is not one weak link. Isabelle Huppert's subtle and subdued performance especially stands out. Director and co-writer Ira Sachs does a fantastic job tying all this together into an excellent whole. Many critics compared this movie to an Eric Rohmer film, and the influence can easily be felt. However it must be stated this film never tries too hard to be an Eric Rohmer movie, but rather is an excellent heartfelt film that is influenced by that great French director.
If I had one problem with this movie it is the subplot of a family that is friends with Frankie and the parents debating divorcing. This honestly is quite bland and doesn't feel like it needs to be in this other wise great movie.
A nice relaxing movie that has some hidden depth underneath all that.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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