Ma Saison Préférée [My Favorite Season] *** (1993, Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Auteuil, Marthe Villalonga) – Classic Movie Review 9967

Director André Techiné’s 1993 Ma Saison Préférée [My Favorite Season] is an intriguing and engrossing, if difficult and elusive study of two siblings, written by Pascal Bonitzer and André Téchiné.

Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil star as Emilie and Antoine, a brother and sister who have led totally separate lives until their strong-willed old mother Berthe (Marthe Villalonga) can no longer look after herself. Berthe moves in with Emilie’s family, and Emilie invites Antoine for Christmas, re-kindling the embers of the love/ hate conflict that has always existed between the brother and sister.

Ma Saison Préférée [My Favorite Season] is an interesting look at a destructive relationship and flawed, unfulfilled characters, but these negative elements bring dangers of a downbeat movie that Techiné cannot avoid, despite the carefully placed and handled dramatic highspots.

Deneuve (impressively acting, cast outside of her usual range and comfort zone) and Auteuil give fully rounded, compelling performances, though they are battling against the odds, and Villalonga is even more compelling in a less showy role.

Curiously, the more we get to know about these characters the less we understand about them, and the last half hour, which should have the film shifting up into top gear sees it drifting instead into neutral. The title is as mystifying as the film.

Also in the cast are Jean-Pierre Bouvier, Chiara Mastroianni, Carmen Chaplin, Anthony Prada and Michèle Moretti.

Ma Saison Préférée is directed by André Techiné, runs 125 minutes, is released by Gala (UK), is written by Pascal Bonitzer and André Téchiné, is shot by Thierry Arbogast, is produced by Alain Sarde and scored by Philippe Sarde.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9967

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