In One Fine Morning, writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve sees life in a constant balance where moments of grief and loss coexist with those of joy. The film opens when Sandra (Léa Seydoux), a 30-something widowed mother and translator, visits her father, Georg (Pascal Greggory), a former philosophy professor who suffers from a neurodegenerative disease that has affected his eyesight and cognition. His condition is serious enough that she has to guide him on how to unlock his own front door and let her inside. Although Sandra has long become used to her father’s illness, there exists a buried sadness that refuses to go away.
However, that same morning, Sandra chances upon Clément (Melvil Poupaud), an old friend of her late husband. There is an instant connection, and the two soon find themselves in a passionate romantic relationship despite Clément being married with a young son and unwilling to leave his family. The affair not only allows Sandra an escape from the reality of her ailing father but also affords her the opportunity to rediscover love and intimacy – elements that were missing from her life since her husband’s death. This may sound like parts of a melodrama, but the film’s focus on natural performances allow each character’s feelings to arrive organically.
Here, Hansen-Løve wisely lets us into Sandra’s head as she falls for Clément. As he struggles to choose between staying loyal to his wife and leaving her, we see Sandra’s ever-shifting state of mind as she juggles two emotionally unavailable men while tending to the needs of her young daughter, Linn (Camille Leban Martins). During one of their breakups, he tells her, “You knew my situation,” and Sandra sorrowfully replies, “And you knew mine.” By getting us to realize how every relationship puts a strain on Sandra, Hansen-Løve effectively humanizes her protagonist.
We are also able to empathize with Sandra’s journey due to the strength of Seydoux’s performance. She portrays her with tenderness, effortlessly capturing when her feelings of hope and sadness intertwine. Perhaps more impressively, Seydoux manages to communicate Sandra’s many attempts to suppress her own emotions to appear strong for the sake of others. We only see her reveal her true feelings in brief moments, but this only serves to intensify the impact. In one scene, when she receives a loving message from Clément, Seydoux initially beams with hope before she holds back out of fear and then finally allows herself to bask in love. In many ways, the role is a welcome departure for Seydoux, who thrives as the lead in a character study that befits her talent.
As Georg’s condition worsens, Sandra, her sister, Elodie (Sarah Le Picard), their mother, Françoise (Nicole Garcia), as well as Georg’s partner, Leïla (Fejria Deliba), realize that he requires full-time care in a nursing home. Sandra struggles to make sense of her adoration for her father as his memory declines to the point that he forgets who she is. She stumbles along, trying to navigate the complexities of how much love she can bear to give. In this sense, One Fine Morning is about the limits that we must establish for ourselves to remain emotionally intact.
Yet, the film is not a warning. Instead, it honors the present, encouraging us to embrace the moments we have together and cherish the memories while we still have them. Hansen-Løve comments on the long-lasting impact our lives can have even after we’re gone. When Georg is moved into assisted living, Sandra and her family have to work out what to do with his vast collection of books. She explains to Linn that due to his deteriorating health, his library is more like him than he is. While Sandra keeps some of the books, she also gives many of them away to Georg’s former students, allowing the philosophy professor to live on in the homes of those who remember him fondly.
There’s an odd rhythm to the way Hansen-Løve and editor Marion Monnier cut the film. When a scene begins, we get the sense that it’s already midway through an interaction. It creates a lifelike sensibility that illustrates how all of Sandra’s feelings – occasional bewilderment towards Linn, affection and heartbreak with Clément, and pain and devotion for Georg – all pass with time. One Fine Morning recognizes the inevitability of love and loss as a part of life and tells us what we take out of these moments is what matters most.
Photo courtesy of Sony Picture Classics
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