New in cinema - Juliette in Spring": French Feel-Good-Film
Juliette is a children's book illustrator and lives in Paris. She is going through a crisis and cannot find an explanation for her depressive state. In the hope of finding comfort in her family, the young woman travels for a few days to the city of her childhood. There, she discovers that things are not much better for others.
"Juliette in Spring" is the fourth feature film by Blandine Lenoir. After "Madame Aurora and the Scent of Spring" and "Annie Cohlère", in which the themes of menopause and abortion were addressed, the 50-year-old filmmaker tackles the topic of depression. She adapts the successful comic "Juliette: The Ghosts Return in Spring" (Juliette: The Ghosts Come Back in Spring) by Camille Jourdy.
The story takes place against the backdrop of a reunited family with all its baggage: nervous breakdowns, scenes of jealousy and affection. Juliette (Isabelle Huppert) gradually discovers a deeply moving family secret.
Unspoken Feelings
Lenoir paints a colorful portrait of Juliette's family. There is her modest and tender father, who hides his loneliness and sadness behind his humor. Her Mother, a painter, whose insatiability hides an unbearable suffering. Her beloved grandmother, who lives in a nursing home. Her elder sister Marylou - a mother overwhelmed by her daily life - as well as Pollux, the lovable and lonely tenant of their grandmother's apartment. All of them live with unspoken words and feelings.
Bear Lover
The daily life of Marylou (Sophie Guillemin) offers surprisingly intriguing episodes. In a greenhouse, she sleeps with the seller from a costume shop - who, when he is not naked, encounters her in a bear or ghost costume.
Director Lenoir gives the characters the right dose of humor: she overdoes it only in the right moments. Melancholy also frequently seeps in. When Juliette finds the actress and singer Isabelle Huppert, Lenoir has created a warm-hearted Feel-Good-Film with plenty of first themes.
Juliette's trip to her childhood city in France brought her to a local cinema, where she decided to watch a movie to distract herself from her crisis. The film, titled "Parisian Nights," was a German production and left her feeling emotionally drained. Upon returning home, she shared her experience with her Mother, who expressed her disappointment in Germany's portrayal of their country in the movie.
