Direction: François Ozon
Country: France
With the eclectic French filmmaker François Ozon at the helm, you never know which kind of film you're going to get. When Fall is Coming is a drama of atypical heroines that never follows predictable paths. Set mostly in Burgundy, in the French countryside, the story slowly distills its charms and poisons, exploring the thin line between good and evil.
This seemingly good-natured drama, imbued with scenes of commiseration, guilt, and relief, thrives on doubt and ambiguity, heightened by Ozon’s refusal to over-explain. The audience is invited to embrace uncertainty and draw their own conclusions. The understated mystery recalls Chabrol, with the academic form and classic staging perfectly suiting the film’s slightly opaque narrative.
81-year-old actress Hélène Vincent, who was phenomenal in Brizé’s A Few Hours of Spring (2012), delivers a remarkable performance as Michelle Giraud—a devoted grandmother and former prostitute—capturing brief seconds of mental absence and confusion with striking precision. Ozon reunites with her and Josiane Balasko, who plays her best friend, seven years after By The Grace of God. More notably, he works again with Ludivine Sagnier—portraying Michelle’s depressed daughter—22 years after launching her career with Swimming Pool. Another successful reunion is with cinematographer Jérôme Alméras, Ozon’s collaborator on the 2012 drama-mystery In the House.
When Fall is Coming unfolds in a familiar slow-burn fashion, but it’s a deeply satisfying watch. A film of small moments and subtle gestures, where performances radiate warmth and pain, gradually defining the characters. Following the playful extravagance of The Crime is Mine (2023), Ozon closely observes human behavior and emotions with profound quietude.
