Celebrated writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve makes a wise and wistful return with One Fine Morning, a profoundly moving portrayal of love, loss and contemporary womanhood that won the Best European Film award in the Directors' Fortnight section at Cannes Film Festival 2022.

Set in Paris, Léa Seydoux stars as Sandra – a young, widowed mother who juggles her job as a translator with caring both for her young daughter and her elderly father, who is suffering from degenerative neurological disease. With her father slowly drifting away and her daughter growing up fast, Sandra’s life is further complicated when she embarks on a passionate affair with Clement (Melvil Poupaud), an old friend in an unhappy marriage.

Returning to the thematic and narrative sensibilities of such acclaimed previous films as Things to Come and Father of My Children, Hansen-Løve’s latest is a gently poignant romantic drama exploring the beauty and limitations of romance and family bonds, shot through with the director’s characteristically charming touch.

The Garden Cinema View:

Beautifully filmed in 35mm, brimming with pastel colour, and featuring a career-best performance from Léa Seydoux, Mia Hansen-Løve’s latest masterpiece is a mature, and profoundly moving, meditation on engulfing grief and reawakened desire. As sensual as it is sad, Hansen-Løve once again showcases her ability to spin her personal experiences into universally meaningful cinema.  

Cast:
Léa Seydoux, Pascal Greggory, Melvil Poupaud, Nicole Garcia