University of Miami

Student Life, Exhibits & Films

Directed by Olivier Assayas France, 2008, Digital Projection, 103 minutes, Color, French and English with English Subtitles French director Olivier Assayas subverts expectations with this empathetic drama about the fading relevance of objects as generations pass from one to the next. Helene has just turned 75 and is increasingly concerned about the particulars of leaving her estate behind when she dies. Unfortunately, the time comes when Adrienne, Jeremie and Frederic must decide what to do with Helene's house and the artwork left behind by her famous uncle. Even when the siblings are at odds, they don't succumb to fighting. They seem to understand and accept that this is an unfortunate, muddled situation, and as much as they'd love to hold on to the house, it appears that their current situations carry more of an influence than the lives of their nostalgic past. Assayas delivers and understated motion picture about the importance of objects as historical artifacts and family heirlooms, and how time renders these objects obsolete.