Sunday, June 12, 2016

Belle Familles
(Families)

French Film Festival 2016
Greenbelt 3 Cinema 


When Jerome makes a side trip to Paris (before he heads to London for a business venture) to visit to his family, he learns that the sale of their ancestral mansion has encountered a bureaucratic problem between city hall and a potential buyer. 

Jerome who has lived and worked in Shanghai for a decade is accompanied by his Chinese fiancee whom he wishes to introduce to his family. But soon enough, his involvement in the sale of their house entails him to stay much longer than he expected to as he discovers the secrets attached to his childhood manor. In the process it affects his business trip, his relationship with his fiancee as well as his filial duties.

This farcical comedy boasts of a great ensemble cast (I'm familiar with a few of the actors as I've seen them in other movies) who portray a myriad of high strung characters who act out a very energetic and fast paced story line. 

It is a typical French milieu with the provincial town of Ambray providing the picturesque setting to a complex narrative about  family secrets, strong childhood ties, nostalgia and also throw in an unexpected romance to the mix. All the ingredients needed to make it a watchable movie without any nagging existential questions clouding your mind.

It is an entertaining but somewhat predictable movie that is so French that you can't help but think of the hashtag #BourgeoisProblems!

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