Our take
This bittersweet film about a father and a daughter marks one of the more tender spots in Claire Denis’ brilliant filmography. Frequent collaborator Alex Descas plays Lionel (the father), while Mati Diop, now a director in her own right, plays Josephine (the daughter.) The film captures the two at a crossroads, with their closely-knit relationship tested as Josephine grows closer to her boyfriend, and Lionel must face the possibility of finally letting her go.
A melancholy lingers in the air as we learn more about their lives and the small community of neighbors and coworkers in their orbit. Meanwhile, the film’s climax holds a mesmerizing sequence set to the Commodores’ Nightshift, which has to rank as one of the best needle drops in cinema from a director who already has an all-timer under her belt. (see. Beau Travail)
What it won
Venice
1 nom
Berlin
1 nom
The story
A widower and his daughter witness the retirement of a colleague of his and the closing of her department at her university.
Elsewhere
"Establishes an immediate and intense fascination for its characters and their lives that it never for a second loses."
— Jason Wood
The details
Streaming arrival
"A sort of ballet of emotions, executed with weightless grace and poise."
— Dave Kehr