*My review of The Truth was originally published on Film Inquiry. Click here to read the original post and check out more great reviews from this awesome site!*
After winning the Palme d’Or in 2018 with Shoplifters, a quiet family saga that earned plaudits from critics and awards voters, beloved Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda is back with The Truth, his first cinematic foray outside of Japan. On paper, it sounds like a home run: the legendary Catherine Deneuve, starring alongside the equally iconic Juliette Binoche and American star Ethan Hawke. Considering Kore-eda‘s last film and the unofficial theme of this year’s Film Fest 919, it’s unsurprising that this is another family drama, a film fascinated by the dynamics of these relationships and the long-standing grudges that simmer over decades. It’s rich material for a trio of great performers, which makes it all the more unfortunate that Kore-eda‘s latest never fully comes alive.
Deneuve stars as Fabienne, a world-famous, César award-winning actress who has just published her first tell-all memoir. It’s difficult to know what’s real and what’s fiction in Fabienne’s candid account of her life — especially when her own family members are contradicting her memories. The publication of the much-anticipated memoir coincides with the return of Lumir (Binoche) to her mother’s gorgeous French abode; she’s visiting with her TV actor husband Hank (Hawke) and young daughter Charlotte (Clémentine Grenier).
What should be a happy reunion ultimately reveals a number of deep-seated conflicts between the mother-daughter duo, conflicts that stretch all the way back to Lumir’s childhood and her mother’s early ascent to the upper echelon of international stardom. With Fabienne’s latest science-fiction movie also exploring the nature of mother-daughter relationships—and grappling with the arrival of a new star (Manon Clavel) who could be Fabi’s successor — Kore-eda‘s basic narrative framework becomes (in theory) the starting point for an exploration of a path toward mutual truth, reunion, and the acceptance of fading glory.
For a film that, on paper, deals with a number of worthy ideas, The Truth is almost aggressively pleasant at every turn. The stars are charismatic and the photography is appropriately lush; one particular image of the foliage around Fabi’s house is practically ingrained in my mind. However, it’s often so pleasant that its occasional moments of unpleasantness feel like a respite — a refreshing reminder that, yes, we’re still dealing with themes and relationships worth considering here. I’m certainly not opposed to something light and fluffy, especially with this group of actors involved. Yet The Truth insists on teasing something more substantial and theoretically “important,” which is something it can’t quite deliver on.
This, precisely, is what makes Kore-eda‘s latest so frustrating: it promises the emotionally rigorous breakdown of a relationship, only to shy away from that material when push comes to shove. At times, the director seems to suggest an interest in an Autumn Sonata-style clash between Fabienne and Lumir, but the ultimate resolution is too simple and too easy for that kind of story; The Truth never wants to dig deep enough for that. Tensions appear with a bang and dissipate without a trace, leading to a sentimental conclusion that never earns its sappiness. Despite working with a handful of potentially fascinating strands, Kore-eda‘s latest never follows through on its plethora of potential in any meaningful way.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (5.8/10)
After winning the Palme d’Or in 2018 with Shoplifters, a quiet family saga that earned plaudits from critics and awards voters, beloved Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda is back with The Truth, his first cinematic foray outside of Japan. On paper, it sounds like a home run: the legendary Catherine Deneuve, starring alongside the equally iconic Juliette Binoche and American star Ethan Hawke. Considering Kore-eda‘s last film and the unofficial theme of this year’s Film Fest 919, it’s unsurprising that this is another family drama, a film fascinated by the dynamics of these relationships and the long-standing grudges that simmer over decades. It’s rich material for a trio of great performers, which makes it all the more unfortunate that Kore-eda‘s latest never fully comes alive.
Deneuve stars as Fabienne, a world-famous, César award-winning actress who has just published her first tell-all memoir. It’s difficult to know what’s real and what’s fiction in Fabienne’s candid account of her life — especially when her own family members are contradicting her memories. The publication of the much-anticipated memoir coincides with the return of Lumir (Binoche) to her mother’s gorgeous French abode; she’s visiting with her TV actor husband Hank (Hawke) and young daughter Charlotte (Clémentine Grenier).
What should be a happy reunion ultimately reveals a number of deep-seated conflicts between the mother-daughter duo, conflicts that stretch all the way back to Lumir’s childhood and her mother’s early ascent to the upper echelon of international stardom. With Fabienne’s latest science-fiction movie also exploring the nature of mother-daughter relationships—and grappling with the arrival of a new star (Manon Clavel) who could be Fabi’s successor — Kore-eda‘s basic narrative framework becomes (in theory) the starting point for an exploration of a path toward mutual truth, reunion, and the acceptance of fading glory.
For a film that, on paper, deals with a number of worthy ideas, The Truth is almost aggressively pleasant at every turn. The stars are charismatic and the photography is appropriately lush; one particular image of the foliage around Fabi’s house is practically ingrained in my mind. However, it’s often so pleasant that its occasional moments of unpleasantness feel like a respite — a refreshing reminder that, yes, we’re still dealing with themes and relationships worth considering here. I’m certainly not opposed to something light and fluffy, especially with this group of actors involved. Yet The Truth insists on teasing something more substantial and theoretically “important,” which is something it can’t quite deliver on.
This, precisely, is what makes Kore-eda‘s latest so frustrating: it promises the emotionally rigorous breakdown of a relationship, only to shy away from that material when push comes to shove. At times, the director seems to suggest an interest in an Autumn Sonata-style clash between Fabienne and Lumir, but the ultimate resolution is too simple and too easy for that kind of story; The Truth never wants to dig deep enough for that. Tensions appear with a bang and dissipate without a trace, leading to a sentimental conclusion that never earns its sappiness. Despite working with a handful of potentially fascinating strands, Kore-eda‘s latest never follows through on its plethora of potential in any meaningful way.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (5.8/10)
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