52 Films by Women: 'Things to Come' by Mia Hansen-Løve

Entry #2 in 52 Films by Women. See all related posts by clicking here.

Separation. Aging. Disappointment. Self-liberation. Whether through a dizzying upheaval of cherished (but not overly cherished) memories and connections or an intellectual conversation with oneself that compromise our own ways of living, there are means -- at once familiar and alien -- by which these dilemmas pull us to the physical and emotional spaces of existential longing and deeper scrutinization of our purported freedoms therein. What, if anything, do our convictions and ideologies entail in regards to the choices we make or the forms of adjustment and coping in the face of inescapable adversity. I like to hope I can have an inkling of the wisdom in my own life by the time I'm 30 that Mia Hansen-Løve's movies exude with such unfussy ease and affection. She gives her viewers so much: the organic intricacy of her scripts; the disarming balance of philosophical coolness and radicalism; the economical radiance of energy through editing; the tough, non-pandering questions about the choices we make, the memories we love and the ideals we champion, and the messiness that ensues in our attempts to entangle them. It's here in her latest film Things to Come where Hansen-Løve has the good sense to reject the idea that these questions can be boiled down to any sort of simple resolve, devising a multi-layered prism of ironies and ambiguities to inform character as opposed to mechanical catharsis. Doing near-career-best work, Isabelle Huppert renders the internal conflict of Nathalie with a remarkable specificity of humor, intelligence, and exasperation that undercuts the deliberately opaque intonations of her character. Scenes involving engagements with Nathalie's husband, mother, children, protege, cat, and students exhibit Huppert's unsung gifts for scene-level collaboration with cast members, which is utterly vital for the undercurrents of feeling in her characterization. Her connections to each fulfill Nathalie in different ways while constantly altering her perceptions and ours in equal measure. With Eden focusing on the sprawling group portrait of EDM musicians and Goodbye, First Love operating as a showcase for then-breakthrough actress Lola Creton, Things to Come not only proves Hansen-Løve's adeptness at exploring a variety of different characters and lifestyles with equal insight, but also shines a light on her abilities as an Actor's Director, delivering wholeheartedly as a bracing star vehicle for one of the biggest French screen legends of our time. Anxious to see who she works with next and to explore her earlier works!