00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Chris: Family secrets have a way of surfacing at the
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 most unexpected times. And that's exactly
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 what makes this new French film, When Fall Is
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 Coming, so captivating. It shows how our
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 past actions can haunt us like autumn
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 leaves that refuse to fall.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:17 Jessica: That's such an interesting way to look at it.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 The way this film handles family dynamics
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 reminds me of how Ingmar Bergman approached
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 similar themes in his work. This slow
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 unraveling of relationships that reveals
00:00:27 --> 00:00:28 deeper truths.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 Chris: You know what's fascinating about Michelle's
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 character? Here's this grandmother who seems
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 to have it all figured out. She's given her
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 Paris apartment to her daughter. She's living
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 this idyllic life in the French countryside.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 But there's this undercurrent of, uh,
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 something not quite right.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 Jessica: And the way Helen Vincent plays her is so
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 nuanced. Every gentle gesture in her
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 garden seems to be hiding something deeper.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 Chris: Speaking of the garden, it's brilliant how
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 director Francois Ozan uses it as this
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 metaphor throughout the film. Like, you can't
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 just plant something and expect it to grow
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 perfectly without dealing with what's already
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 in the soil. Right. Just like you can't move
00:01:08 --> 00:01:09 forward without addressing your past.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 Jessica: Well, that's exactly what makes the poisoned
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 mushroom incident so powerful. It's like this
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 perfect symbol of how something toxic from
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 the past can suddenly emerge and destroy
00:01:19 --> 00:01:20 everything you've built.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 Chris: And the way the film handles the relationship
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 between Michelle and her daughter Valerie.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 Oh, man. Ludivine Seigne brings such
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 complexity to that role. Here's a woman going
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 through a divorce, fighting for custody,
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 and yet her hostility toward her mother seems
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 to go way beyond normal family tension.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:40 Jessica: That makes me think about how the film
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 explores different kinds of second chances.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 You've got Vincent, who's literally been in
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 prison, and then you've got these emotional
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 prisoners like Michelle and Valerie, trapped
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 by their past.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 Chris: You know what's really clever about Ozan's
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 direction? The way he takes this full hour
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 to build up these relationships before he
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 pulls the rug out from under us. It's like
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 he's teaching us the same patience that
00:02:04 --> 00:02:05 Michelle shows in her garden.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 Jessica: The cinematography really adds to that
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 feeling of suspense, doesn't it? The way
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 Jerome Almeras captures the Burgundy region.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 All those misty mornings and golden
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 afternoons. It's like the landscape itself is
00:02:19 --> 00:02:20 keeping secrets.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 Chris: Absolutely right. And, um, the way
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 the film uses autumn as both setting and
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 metaphor is just masterful. It's this time of
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 harvest, but also of decay, which perfectly
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 mirrors how these family secrets are finally
00:02:33 --> 00:02:34 coming to light.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 Jessica: So what do you think about how the film
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 handles the idea of judgment. It
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 seems to suggest that everyone deserves a
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 second chance. But then it also shows how
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 some actions might be unforgivable.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 Chris: That's such a crucial point. Like, Michelle
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 clearly believes in redemption, which we see
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 in how she helps Vincent. But the film keeps
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 asking us whether some bridges once burned,
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 can ever really be rebuilt. And what's
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 fascinating is how it refuses to give us
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 easy answers.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 Jessica: Well, the performances really sell that moral
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 ambiguity. Even the smaller roles like
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 Garlin Aerlos as Lucas add to this sense
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 that everyone's carrying around their own
00:03:13 --> 00:03:14 version of the truth.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 Chris: And that's really what makes this film so
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 powerful. It's not just about whether we can
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 escape our past. It's about how our
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 secrets shape every relationship we have.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 The way it's scored an 8 out of 10 feels
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 right because it's the kind of film that
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 stays with you, making you question your own
00:03:33 --> 00:03:34 judgments and assumptions.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 Jessica: That's why I think it works on so many levels
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 as a family drama, as a psychological
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 thriller, and as this deeper meditation on
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 forgiveness and redemption.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 Chris: You know, in the end, it's like what
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Michelle's garden teaches us. You can't just
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 bury things and expect them to disappear.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 Sometimes they grow into something beautiful
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 and sometimes, well, sometimes they
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 turn out to be poisonous mushrooms that
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 threaten to destroy everything you've built.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 When Fall's Coming is an atmospheric and
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 richly rewarding film with a fine attention
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 to detail.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 Voice Over Guy: You've been listening to movies first
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 iHeartRadio or your favourite podcast
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 player. You can also stream on
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 demand@bytes.com this.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 Chris: Has been another quality podcast production
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 from bitesz. com.