A moving, slice-of-life piece, One Fine Morning combines the sensitive touch of writer-director Mia Hansen-Love (Bergman Island) with the acting chops of leading actor Lea Seydoux.
Seydoux plays Sandra Kienzler, a single mother whose husband died five years ago. A translator, she and her family are dealing with the deteriorating health of her father Georg (Pascal Greggory). An esteemed professor of philosophy, Georg has a neuro-degenerative disease, which has greatly affected his hold on reality and he has all but lost his eyesight. He is no longer capable of looking after himself. The family, including his ex-wife Francoise (Nicole Garcia), needs to find an appropriate facility to care for him. He ends up being shuffled from one hospital to the next, with Sandra a frequent visitor.
The rest of Sandra’s life is centred around her eight-year-old daughter, Linn (Camille Leban Martins). And then she bumps into an old friend of her dead husband, expedition adventurer Clement (Melvil Poupaud). Married with a son, the chemistry between he and Sandra is obvious. Finding Pascal allows Sandra to rediscover a part of her being that was boxed away. His marriage is on shaky ground and the inevitable happens, but navigating that is hardly without its issues.
Mixing poignancy with pleasure presents the audience with a rich tableau. One Find Morning’s script allows the actors to showcase their talents – none more so than Seydoux, who brings authenticity to her portrayal.
Bringing nuance to her role, Seydoux’s “playfulness” is every bit as engaging as her more serious side. Poupaud presents his character’s moral dilemma with assurance. In the clinches there is a smouldering intensity about the couple. Greggory excels as a man whose intellect has all but abandoned him. I also appreciated the feisty characterisation by Nicole Garcia as Georg’s former wife and activist Francoise. Incidentally, the film’s title is drawn from the title of the professor’s intended autobiography.
One Fine Morning deals with life’s big issues with maturity. It’s a film of substance and quality with emotional resonance.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- The Beast – movie review
- Marriage Story – movie and streaming review
- By the Grace of God – movie review
Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
