First Hit: A bit slow and drawn out but characters were well identified.
This French film is a study in how a man can hide his work struggles from his family but, in the end, they become so burdensome that he commits suicide.
Gregoire Canvel (played by Louis-Do de Lencquesaing) is a producer of films. Some of his films have been successes and some not. Because he's been in the business for a long time he can borrow money from his past.
However, he likes working with creative geniuses and the weight of how they work and how much it costs is dragging down his company. He is constantly smoking, doesn’t sleep much, and is less than cognizant of the needs of his staff or his wife.
His banker, accountant and trusted aide tell him he’s got to figure something out but his film catalogue is already leveraged to the hilt and he has little resources left to make it work. Each time he is with his family he focuses on them, but when he takes a phone call about work, he pulls away from his wife and family both physically and emotionally.
His daughters love and admire him. He is full of wisdom and knowledge which he displays by giving them the historical importance about the places they visit. His daughters also put on plays which is truly endearing.
However, after admitting to his wife he’s in financial trouble at work, he goes off and kills himself.
de Lencquesaing is effective as a man who buries his feelings while his difficulties show in other subtle and not so subtle ways. Chiara Caselli is good as his wife but she was very much in the background. Alice de Lencquesaing (Louis’s daughter) was wonderful as the older daughter wanting to grow up, yet still partially a child at heart especially when she played with her siblings. Alice Gautier and Manelle Driss were extraordinary as the youngest daughters Valentine and Billie respectively. Their energy, sadness and joy permeated the screen.
Overall: The film is slow and ends as the story began in a nondescript place in time.