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Summer Hours

A universal tale of life, love, and loss

Summer Hours

Internal dynamics come into play following the death of a parent in this family drama written and directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Olivier Assayas.

Every summer the family comes home for a reunion. The mother, Helene, is celebrating her 75th birthday. She beams with pride at this opportunity for everyone to be together again.

Her oldest son, Frederic, is an economist and university professor who lives 50 minutes away by train in Paris. Her daughter, Adrienne (Juliette Binoche from "Dan in Real Life," "Chocolat" and "The English Patient"), is a successful New York designer. Her youngest son, Jeremie, is a dynamic businessman in China.

The house in the countryside has been in the family for nearly half a century. The family heirlooms and keepsakes rekindle special childhood memories associated with growing up. Helene was the heiress to her uncle's exceptional 19th century art collection. There are museum-worthy paintings, books, art objects and pieces of antique furniture in every nook and cranny of the house.

When Helene dies unexpectedly, the three siblings, who are leading divergent lives going in separate directions, must make tough choices in dividing up the estate.

This meditation on life and the loss of a loved one is a universal subject that everyone is forced to encounter. It is a crossroads moment when the past becomes a distant memory and the future looks ominous. A literary approach much like chapters in a book is taken with every segment occurring at a different season over the course of a year.

The movie excels at character development and exposing the innermost feelings of the main players. It points out how life goes on with one generation following another.

This movie should foster discussion about estate planning for baby boomers that are now next in the firing line of mortality.

The acting is superb and the cinematography is top drawer. French films are not shy about tackling real-life issues in a meaningful way. Dialogue is in French with English subtitles.

— K. Cohen, Entertainment Spectrum

Summer Hours

Wed September 16, 2009, 7:00 & 9:15, Muenzinger Auditorium

France, 2008, French, Color, 103 min, Unrated, Widescreen, 1.85:1, 35mm

recommend

Tickets

10 films for $60 with punch card
$9 general admission. $7 w/UCB student ID, $7 for senior citizens
$1 discount to anyone with a bike helmet
Free on your birthday! CU Cinema Studies students get in free.

Parking

Pay lot 360 (now only $1/hour!), across from the buffalo statue and next to the Duane Physics tower, is closest to Muenzinger. Free parking can be found after 5pm at the meters along Colorado Ave east of Folsom stadium and along University Ave west of Macky.

RTD Bus

Park elsewhere and catch the HOP to campus

International Film Series

(Originally called The University Film Commission)
Established 1941 by James Sandoe.

First Person Cinema

(Originally called The Experimental Cinema Group)
Established 1955 by Carla Selby, Gladney Oakley, Bruce Conner and Stan Brakhage.

C.U. Film Program

(AKA The Rocky Mountain Film Center)
First offered degrees in filmmaking and critical studies in 1989 under the guidance of Virgil Grillo.

Celebrating Stan

Created by Suranjan Ganguly in 2003.

C.U. Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Established 2017 by Chair Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz.

Thank you, sponsors!
Boulder International Film Festival
Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

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