Un Beau Matin (One Fine Morning)

Written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve

Starring Léa Seydoux, Pascal Greggory, Melvil Poupaud, and Nicole Garcia

Released (US) Jan. 27, 2023

Available on several streaming services, including Amazon Prime

K had heard or read good things about this film. “It’s French,” I said to her. “Get ready for a gut-wrenching domestic drama.”

It was gut-wrenching. It was dramatic. It was French… and it was very good.

The plot is humdrum: A woman that looks to be in her late 30s is raising a young daughter, tending to her blind and demented father, and working as a translator in Paris when she runs into an old friend. He’s married with a child. They connect. The rest of the story is grim, but it’s also gripping and wonderful in a way that only French films seem to be able to do it.

A standout is Léa Seydoux, the lead, who looks like Jean Seberg in Godard’s Breathless, and who makes every scene she’s in (which is almost every scene in the movie) work. She has a face that is at once common and beautiful.

The other cast members are good, too.

Critical Reception 

* “The film’s storytelling is deceptively straightforward, rooted in realistic dialogue and Mia Hansen-Løve’s light touch as a visual stylist.” (Pat Brown, Slant Magazine)

* “This is a big movie served up in a surprisingly small, intimate package.” (Stephanie Zacharek, Time Magazine)

* “An immensely satisfying collaboration that finds both auteur and star further solidifying their spots among the greats of their respective fields.” (Jon Frosch, Hollywood Reporter)

You can watch the trailer here.