Co-written by Marie Drucker and director Stephane Brize, Out of Season is a sensitive, slow-moving romance.
Mathieu (Guillaume Canet) is a famous Parisian movie star, married to a prime-time news anchor. Four weeks before making his stage debut, Mathieu gets cold feet and pulls out, leaving everyone in the lurch. While he knows his withdrawal hasn’t gone down well, he maintains it was the right thing to do. Now, he’s decided to put that behind him and try to rejuvenate by attending an elegant seaside resort in Western France. At first, he exchanges calls with his busy, no-nonsense wife, who doesn’t appreciate what Mathieu is going through. She tells him to move on with his movie career, which means deciding on his next film from the scripts that he has with him.
Then, unexpectedly, Mathieu receives a message from a former partner, piano teacher Alice (Alba Rohrwacher). The pair had a relationship many years earlier. He ended it; leaving her distraught. She now lives in the area and found out he was in town. Although apprehensive, she decided to make contact. Like him, she is married with a family, but their connection is palpable, even after so many years. Once they spend time together, it becomes clear they have unfinished business.
Brize had disillusionment in mind with Out of Season – an emotion common to several of his films. Fear is another driving force – the fear of failure and fragility. While fear is Mathieu’s current problem, it’s a permanent issue for Alice. At this point in their lives, both need understanding and nurturing, and they find that in one another. They can safely open up, without being harshly judged.
Out of Season maintains a gentle pace. The performances are measured. I found a warmth in both these “broken” people, who are looking for something they haven’t been able to attain. The pristine beauty of the environment – open water, rocks and barren landscape – is like another character in the film. It provides Mathieu and Alice time to breathe. I also appreciated the melodic, piano-based score.
Arguably, not much happens in Out of Season, but certainly enough to make a difference in Mathieu and Alice’s lives; enabling them to move forward. This art house movie is one for selective tastes. Some will find the going too slow. I, however, appreciated the director’s approach to the material.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.