Ma Saison Preferee

Ma Saison Preferee, released in 1993, is a captivating French drama film directed by renowned filmmaker André Téchiné. Esteemed actors Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil helm a talented cast, and are supported by Marthe Villalonga, creating a rich tapestry of characters that so integrally express the human condition in its most intimate and familial aspect.

Catherine Deneuve, an icon of French cinema, plays the role of Emilie, a middle-aged woman who operates a flourishing legal practice in Toulouse, France. She is presented as a dominant, somewhat headstrong individual who has had to remain strong over the years to oversee both her professional and personal lives. Contrastingly, her brother Antoine, played by Daniel Auteuil, is an enigmatic neurosurgeon based in Paris, who is unable to form meaningful relationships due to his brusque and somewhat aloof character. Marthe Villalonga lends her talent to the character of Berthe, mother to Emilie and Antoine; a strong-willed matriarch bravely facing the challenges of old-age.

The title Ma Saison Preferee, translated as 'My Favourite Season', suggests a thematic exploration of the symbolic change that seasons bring in a person’s life - a theme that the film explores profoundly. The life of these characters intertwines in the most unexpected ways, offering a touching exploration of reconnection between estranged family members, and the complexities of existing familial relationships.

Whilst professional lives appear to be running smoothly, these characters deal with personal torments, their feelings of isolation, loneliness and the persistent failures in their relationships. As the siblings find themselves thrown together due to their mother's illness, old tensions resurface, and the palpable antagonism brings the screen alive with a moving, matched intensity.

The film navigates the changing seasons of life with acute sensitivity. The harmonious direction of André Téchiné swiftly turns their personal crisis into a universal story that cuts across age, time, and place, making this film an emotionally resonant narration of life’s undulating course. A seasonal motif is used to underpin the pivotal turning points in the narrative. It could almost be that the changing climate serves as a metaphor for their own shifting emotions and relationships.

Visually, the film is as evocative as its story with impressive cinematography bringing to life the subtle elegance of rural France, while also aiming to visualize the emotional interiority of the characters. Téchiné's frame serves as both a literal and metaphorical window, offering a glimpse into his characters' well-guarded emotional worlds.

The performances in the film are superb with both Deneuve and Auteuil giving inspired portrayals of their characters. Deneuve, with her nuanced acting and strong on-screen presence, vividly brings alive the emotionally complex role of Emilie. Auteuil's brilliant portrayal of Antoine, a man engrossed in his work to the point of emotional detachment, is equally impressive, conjuring a sense of vulnerability propelled by lost time and estrangement.

Marthe Villalonga's lively portrayal of Berthe is unforgettable as well. Villalonga humanizes the trials of old age, drawing immense sympathy and respect for her character as she confronts life with utmost courage. The interactions between the mother and her adult children, particularly during their mother's old age and illness, reveal a lot about the complex relationships and resonates with families on a universal level.

Ma Saison Preferee exhibits Téchiné's exceptional ability to explore the human condition and our profound need for love, acceptance and understanding within family relationships. There is a great artistic depth to this film and a subtlety that captures the rawness of human emotions and the intricate weavings of family ties. In essence, Ma Saison Preferee is an exploration of how we change and adapt, much like the seasons and how these transformations, no matter how challenging or arduous, shape us and our relationships in the most profound ways.