My Favorite Season
by André Téchiné
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Pierre Bouvier, Marthe VillalongaDirector: André Téchiné
Cinematographer: Thierry Arbogast
Writer: André Téchiné
Editor: Martine Giordano
Producer: Alain Sarde
Writer: Pascal Bonitzer
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 127 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-01-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Fox Lorber
Movie Reviews of My Favorite Season
Movie Review: One of my favorite movies...
Summary: 5 Stars
Take two of my favorite foreign actors (Deneuve and Auteuil), place them in one of my favorite film genres (the family drama) and hand them a script that is fully capable of fleshing out everything that great about both facets and you have `Ma Saison Preferee', a stunning and beautifully intoxicating look at sibling relationships and what we make of them.
Auteuil and Deneuve play Antoine and Emilie respectively, siblings who have drifted apart yet are brought together through mutual care for their ailing mother. Emilie is trapped in a marriage of convenience, one that tests her patience and sends her riling into the arms of her brother Antoine, a jealous and emotionally drained man who has yet to find anyone who can reach him quite like his sister. As Emilie struggles to find a newfound balance, one that will allot her a freedom yet not negate her responsibilities, she finds that sorting out her life is going to be more difficult than she expected; and with Antoine's sudden resurface everything gets a little more complicated.
The film is a very profound and moving look at the bond that forms between siblings, a bond that can be hard to sever (impossible really) and one that is tested through all sorts of stormy weather. One theme that I found very poignant here, but one that may not be directly addressed, is that of incest. I don't mean that in the overtly literal sense of the word, but at least a mental form of incest, as both Emilie and (especially) Antoine find themselves entwined within one another in ways of less than amenable fashions.
Don't let that idea turn you off, because it is not a overly expressed idea here, but it is one that can be raised (emotional incest maybe) and one that should be explored in order to appreciate the depth of character in this film.
The performances are all stellar, but it is Daniel Auteuil that really steals my heart and my attention here. There is a charismatic subtleness to his performance (this may be his finest hour, or at least one of his finest) that just draws me in to each frame. The way he is consumed by his relationship with Emilie, the way it attacks him in varying ways (excitement, frustration, depression, aggression) is just stunning, and he plays with his character's emotions flawlessly. Catherine Deneuve is stunning here, and effectively stunted in scenes (complaints have been made to her emotionally inexpressive performance, but I found that it was the perfect counterbalance to Auteuil's unraveling). I loved them both, but Auteuil truly steals this film for me.
With an elegant and sensual backdrop like Southern France dripping from every frame, `Ma Saison Preferee' is a beautiful and intoxicating film that will leave you with plenty to contemplate and remember. If you are not moved by brooding character studies, or if you lack the willingness to delve into the unconventional depths of a film like this, then you should probably stay away, for `Ma Saison Preferee' will come across as boring and aimless to you; but if you can bring yourself to the places this film wants to take you then you will find satisfaction in every single word.
Summary of My Favorite Season
A troubled family, living in genteel, suburban comfort in the south of France is jolted by the deteriorating health of their elderly grandmother and the reappearance of an absented sibling. Catherine Deneuve plays Emilie, a disillusioned parent and frustrated wife, who finds herself drawn away from her unimaginative husband toward her brother, a jealous and charismatic neurosurgeon. Structured like a novella with four chapters, Téchiné's film is riddled with long stretches of ponderous, often humorless, philosophical dialogue. Deneuve's Emilie remains inexpressive and remote; she occupies the moral center of the film, but her characterization isn't generous enough to grant us access to her motivations. Daniel Auteuil fares better as brother Antoine--his odd features and intelligent eyes communicate fathomless restlessness and longing. Spectacular, jaw-dropping footage of Southern France provides a gorgeous backdrop for many scenes, lending a depth and resonance that might otherwise be lacking. Bonus: Marcello Mastroianni's daughter Chiara portrays Emilie's daughter; she's a delight to watch and she acquits herself marvelously. --Miles BethanySimilar DVD Movies
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