Rent Things to Come (2015)
3.3 of 5 from 338 ratings
1h 38min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Nathalie (Isabelle Huppert) teaches philosophy at a high school in Paris and divides her remaining time between her family, former students and her eccentric mother. But when her husband announces he is leaving her for another woman she finds a newfound freedom suddenly thrust upon her that is simultaneously liberating and disconcerting. Featuring a remarkable performance from Huppert, 'Things to Come' is an intelligent, poetic and naturalistic exploration of one woman's pursuit of contentment in the face of adversity.
- Actors:
- Isabelle Huppert, André Marcon, Roman Kolinka, Edith Scob, Sarah Le Picard, Solal Forte, Elise Lhomeau, Lionel Dray, Grégoire Montana, Lina Benzerti, Guy-Patrick Sainderichin, Yves Heck, Rachel Arditi, Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, Larissa Guist, Linus Westheuser, Clemens Melzer, Joachim Cohen, Anouk Buron, Jules Stolar
- Directors:
- Mia Hansen-Løve
- Producers:
- Charles Gillibert
- Writers:
- Mia Hansen-Løve
- Aka:
- L'avenir
- Studio:
- Curzon / Artificial Eye
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- Female Filmmakers Who Changed French Cinema, Films by Genre
- Countries:
- France
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 07/11/2016
- Run Time:
- 102 minutes
- Languages:
- French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
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Reviews (3) of Things to Come
Tres Bien - Things to Come review by BE
A nicely crafted little film about a middle aged teacher of philosophy (Isabella Huppert) coping with her rapidly changing life. She has a quiet elegance and embraces her new found freedom and all that it has to offer. A French film doing what the French do best - portraying everyday scenarios with skill and aplomb. Lovely acting and enjoyed.
5 out of 6 members found this review helpful.
Worth a watch - Things to Come review by Plastic Teaspoon
A nice French film about relationships end endings. I found myself at times sympathetic to the heroine and at other times annoyed by her. She is the instrument of both her own fortunes and misfortunes - a strong and uncompromising woman but also at times a selfish and domineering woman too. She is often critical of everyone round her but doesn't actually have anything better to offer herself.
Enjoyable to watch but only 3 stars as the film didn't really have anything to lift it above the dozens of other films in the genre.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Understated - Things to Come review by sb
FILM & REVIEW Things to Come - as there doesn’t seem to be very much new coming out of note of late decided to use my screen time to either complete working through older directors catalogues or begin a new one. Mia Hansen-Love’s films always get high praise and as all are on Mubi decided to have a look - and glad i did. Huppert plays Nathalie a middle aged philosophy teacher with a radical communist past who observes with rye amusement the current student upheavals over the planned rise in pension age ( the film is 7 years old so plus la change). She has two grown up kids , a husband who also teaches philosophy and an ailing mother (Irene Scob in her final film) who becomes more and more demanding. Her life seems to begin to unravel when her husband leaves her for a younger model and her Mother goes into terminal decline but being a philosophy teacher means she takes it all as part of life. There is also her protege Fabian who is dashingly handsome and lives in a remote farmhouse with his other radical friends… It’s very French with everything understated - she accepts her husbands decision without any great scenes and views her Mothers passing as a release for both of them. You kinda expect the relationship with Fabian to go down the obvious route but it avoids that cliche as well. Huppert is as always superb indicating emotions with small glances and tight smiles…..it’s a film in which not that much happens but it’s still engrossing throughout - so another directors list to work through - 4/5
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
Things to Come (aka L'avenir) review by Adrijan Arsovski - Cinema Paradiso
Calming, inspiring and upbeat: Things to Come starring Isabelle Huppert presents itself as a meditative, existentialist tale of loves long lost, mid-life doubts and double-backing on promises made as early as one’s naive youth, with one clear message in mind – time conquers all. And while at time grazing the surface of several philosophies throughout humanity’s past, the film does not linger too long on said subjects and instead pushes forward in a calm and persisting way.
Once again, Isabelle Huppert proves why she is the best currently working actress on the worldwide scene.
Meet Nathalie Chazeaux (played by Isabelle Huppert), who is the living embodiment of a walking, talking success in the theory of life, but (as we soon find out), starts failing at basic human tasks such as maintaining relationships and fixing her own personal wrongdoings. This is not to say that Nathalie is a failure at life, but, amidst all that has happened to her – she refuses to accept the reality and battles her emotional retreat with, strangely enough, a positive and upbeat attitude which acts as a cocoon under which she pushes down her negative feelings.
Soon enough, her husband declares infidelity and leaves to explore his feelings with a younger woman – an unlikely duo which elicits chuckles from Nathalie as she passes them from a moving bus. Also, as if this wasn’t enough, her daughter is soon to give birth to a baby in a dissolving environment that is devoid of all love that once inhabited it. And her mother is on a deathbed, claiming rights to Nathalie’s attention as she slowly embraces her mortal coil.
Talk about issues.
From here onward, Mia Hansen-Løve’s heroine is struck by the sudden realization that all good things must come to pass. Whether it is relationships with people, objects of affection or life itself – all kneels before the destructive power that is entropy. She then goes to rekindle a relationship with one of her past students named Fabien (played by Roman Kolinka), in a mother-son bond that proves effective and fuels her coping mechanisms. Did I also mention that Nathalie Chazeaux taught philosophy?
Also, Pandora – an overweight black cat whose allergic tendencies tends to disrupt everyone’s daily routines, especially Nathalie’s contemplations about life in general and where it went wrong, soon abandons her master venturing off into the woods. The next morning Pandora returns with a dead mouse in her mouth – pledging sanctuary yet once again. Just like Nathalie: against all overwhelming odds, Pandora persists and stays to what she holds true.
Things to Come features little theoretical philosophy for a film that centers on a protagonists that teaches philosophy for a living, but is nevertheless a film that imposes itself as a storytelling masterpiece and a milestone in actress Isabelle Huppert’s impressive acting streak.
Go check it out.