Catherine Breillat makes a successful return to cinema after ten years of absence

It was at the insistence of her producer Saïd Ben Saïd that Catherine Breillat returned behind the camera after ten years of absence. Welcome idea, both Last summerwhich comes out on Wednesday September 13, is a great success, in which Léa Drucker and the young Samuel Kircher impress.

Personal remake

Recently married to Pierre (Olivier Rabourdin), Anne (Léa Drucker) moves with her two adopted daughters into her beautiful property, where she discovers her 17-year-old stepson Théo (Samuel Kirchner). Confident, the teenager seduces Anne who falls into his arms. Wanting to put an end to this liaison, she does not succeed, and Théo in turn falls under the influence of passion, which he reveals to his father.

Danish film remake Dronnigen (2019) by May el-Toukhy, Last summer is according to its director Catherine Breillat “thea synthesis of all (her) artwork”since it deals with “themes that (him) are dear to lies and moralism“. As usual, the director takes her time to set up her characters and launch the plot. Everything is a matter of rhythm, and here the meeting between Anne and Théo is perfectly timed to give credibility to an improbable love that will become obsessive, at the end of the day. threatens to destroy Anne’s new family and her career as a lawyer.

The lie

If the writing and the progression of the story are the film’s great assets, its casting is another. Léa Drucker goes from solar radiation to worry, and Samuel Kircher, from sufficiency to trouble, with astonishing conviction, while this is her first appearance on screen. As a deceived husband, Olivier Rabourdin is perfect in his carelessness, swept away by the revelation of quasi-incestuous adultery, only to then sink into protective denial.

If the age difference in love is not rare in cinema (Lolita, Breath of the Heart, White Wedding…), Last summer approaches it from an unexpected angle. He puts the lie at the heart of the film, its use, just like its rejection, according to the evolution of the characters, to lead to an astonishing end which questions morality. Catherine Breillat, often divisive, unites through the transgressive charm that her Last summer.

The sheet

Gender : Drama
Director : Catherine Breillat
Actors: Léa Drucker, Samuel Kircher, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Coureau
Country : France
Duration : 1h44
Exit : September 13, 2023
Distributer : Distribution Pyramid

Synopsis: A renowned lawyer jeopardizes her career and threatens to break up her family by having an affair with her 17-year-old stepson.