Director André Téchiné's 'My Favorite Season' is one of those 'oh so French' domestic dramas that will pretty much keep you interested from beginning to end. The subject matter is rather drab however; two adult siblings are forced to make a decision as to what to do with their aging mother, who is exhibiting signs of dementia. The two siblings, Emilie (Catherine Deneuve) and Antoine (Daniel Auteuil), along with a sensational performance by Marthe Villalonga, as Berthe, the aging mother, make the film what it is. The rest is really window dressing.
The film begins with Berthe moving in with Emilie, her husband, Bruno, their daughter and adopted son. Emilie hasn't talked to brother Antoine, a brain surgeon, in three years but finally decides to bury the hatchet by visiting him at the hospital where he works. She invites him for dinner so he can visit their mother. We soon learn that all is not very good with Emilie and Bruno's relationship. This is perhaps the weakest part of the film, as their estrangement is never explored in any kind of depth. Emilie merely states to Bruno that he's grown old poorly and soon afterward, Bruno makes it clear that he's angry that Emilie won't share the same bed with him, and he agrees to her suggestion that they separate.
Meanwhile, the 'young ones', the daughter, the adopted son and his girlfriend, are shown mainly as a contrast to the gravity of Emilie and Antoine's relationship. Most of the time, the young people engage in trivial pursuits, including a couple of dances in the buff by the girlfriend. When Antoine walks in on the son and his girlfriend making love, we also learn that Antoine is quite tolerant, promising not to reveal their tryst to the parents.
Antoine proves to be the most interesting character in the film. While he believes in the philosophy of 'live and let live', he's quite thin-skinned, and often is unable to control his temper. When Bruno accuses Antoine of being cowardly, because he doesn't want to discuss his mother's proposal to draw up a will, they come to blows.
When Berthe collapses back at her home, Emilie and Antoine must then decide what to do with their mother. In perhaps the most touching moment in the film, Antoine has a heart-felt conversation with Emilie, after she's taken refuge in a woman's bathroom, following Antoine chastising her for her suggestion that they put their mother in a nursing home. As they both have no choice, the besieged siblings eventually do put their mother in the nursing home but eventually realize that she's deteriorating there and remove her from the debilitating environment.
After Antoine learns that Emilie has separated from her husband for good and moves to a hotel, we see him talking to himself, reveling in the fact that his sister has finally left the man who Antoine always regarded as 'no good'. Now Antoine becomes more possessive of Emilie. He even suggests they move in together and Emilie is completely uncomfortable with this idea—in her mind, Antoine may have incestuous feelings for her. From Antoine's point of view, there's nothing wrong acting 'childlike'.
A final crisis with the mother unhinges both siblings. Berthe is found to have a lesion on the brain and Emilie accuses Antoine of having ignored her symptoms, and not prevented the present crisis (which involves the mother's imminent demise). Emilie ends up having sex in a park with a young intern at Antoine's hospital while Antoine jumps off his balcony, in a half-hearted suicide attempt.
After the mother's funeral, the family has lunch together and a reconciliation between both the siblings and the family at large, appears to be in the offing. Emilie recalls the words to a song she sung as a child. The lyrics begin, 'where is the friend I seek?' And of course, the 'friend' is life itself. And Emilie confesses that she must always summon up the courage to 'wait'—like waiting for Antoine, which ultimately will bring her contentment. But she never quite finds the 'friend' she is seeking, because in the end, our lives end in death, and there is no significance to our lives, due to life's ultimate finality.
The film begins with Berthe moving in with Emilie, her husband, Bruno, their daughter and adopted son. Emilie hasn't talked to brother Antoine, a brain surgeon, in three years but finally decides to bury the hatchet by visiting him at the hospital where he works. She invites him for dinner so he can visit their mother. We soon learn that all is not very good with Emilie and Bruno's relationship. This is perhaps the weakest part of the film, as their estrangement is never explored in any kind of depth. Emilie merely states to Bruno that he's grown old poorly and soon afterward, Bruno makes it clear that he's angry that Emilie won't share the same bed with him, and he agrees to her suggestion that they separate.
Meanwhile, the 'young ones', the daughter, the adopted son and his girlfriend, are shown mainly as a contrast to the gravity of Emilie and Antoine's relationship. Most of the time, the young people engage in trivial pursuits, including a couple of dances in the buff by the girlfriend. When Antoine walks in on the son and his girlfriend making love, we also learn that Antoine is quite tolerant, promising not to reveal their tryst to the parents.
Antoine proves to be the most interesting character in the film. While he believes in the philosophy of 'live and let live', he's quite thin-skinned, and often is unable to control his temper. When Bruno accuses Antoine of being cowardly, because he doesn't want to discuss his mother's proposal to draw up a will, they come to blows.
When Berthe collapses back at her home, Emilie and Antoine must then decide what to do with their mother. In perhaps the most touching moment in the film, Antoine has a heart-felt conversation with Emilie, after she's taken refuge in a woman's bathroom, following Antoine chastising her for her suggestion that they put their mother in a nursing home. As they both have no choice, the besieged siblings eventually do put their mother in the nursing home but eventually realize that she's deteriorating there and remove her from the debilitating environment.
After Antoine learns that Emilie has separated from her husband for good and moves to a hotel, we see him talking to himself, reveling in the fact that his sister has finally left the man who Antoine always regarded as 'no good'. Now Antoine becomes more possessive of Emilie. He even suggests they move in together and Emilie is completely uncomfortable with this idea—in her mind, Antoine may have incestuous feelings for her. From Antoine's point of view, there's nothing wrong acting 'childlike'.
A final crisis with the mother unhinges both siblings. Berthe is found to have a lesion on the brain and Emilie accuses Antoine of having ignored her symptoms, and not prevented the present crisis (which involves the mother's imminent demise). Emilie ends up having sex in a park with a young intern at Antoine's hospital while Antoine jumps off his balcony, in a half-hearted suicide attempt.
After the mother's funeral, the family has lunch together and a reconciliation between both the siblings and the family at large, appears to be in the offing. Emilie recalls the words to a song she sung as a child. The lyrics begin, 'where is the friend I seek?' And of course, the 'friend' is life itself. And Emilie confesses that she must always summon up the courage to 'wait'—like waiting for Antoine, which ultimately will bring her contentment. But she never quite finds the 'friend' she is seeking, because in the end, our lives end in death, and there is no significance to our lives, due to life's ultimate finality.