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The Age
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
We know how the mushroom trial ended. In this film, we can't be sure
In one of those strange confluences of art and real life, Francois Ozon's When Fall Is Coming is getting its Australian release just as the dust settles on the closely watched trial of Erin Patterson. The film hinges on another mushroom poisoning, this time cooked in what looks like a delicious fricassee by an elderly mother for her daughter and grandson. The film had its international premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival last year, long before the Beef Wellington story spread to Europe. Recent events do, however, lend Ozon's elusive, charming film an extra tang. Michelle (Helene Vincent) is 70 years old, living in a picturesque cottage on the outskirts of a small town in Burgundy. She gardens; she cooks and makes preserves; she has the typical French reverence for eating that means she sets the table properly even when she is alone. Her most constant companion is Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko), a longstanding friend of similar age; the two of them go foraging in the woods, go to church on Sundays, and enjoy a wine or two. But all is not calm. Michelle's daughter, Valerie (Ludivine Sagnier), hates her and is rude and vicious and demanding. Michelle, desperate to maintain her close kinship with Lucas, her beloved grandson, tries to mollify her, but in vain. When Valerie is taken ill after their lunch, she accuses her mother of trying to kill her. Michelle wonders if that might be true. Is she losing her wits? Or does some part of her want to get rid of this bitter, bullying woman, even if she is her daughter? Wouldn't life be better if Valerie were dead? Loading It is the unspeakable question; this film asks it aloud. 'I had in mind a very good friend of mine who had an addicted son,' Ozon says. 'Her life was so difficult, and when he died of an overdose, she was relieved. Of course, she was totally destroyed. But that's the strength of nature – you are able to survive.' Marie-Claude is more inclined to blame herself for the fact that her hapless son Vincent (Pierre Lottin) has led a life of petty crime, culminating in his current prison sentence. 'She asks herself: what have we done wrong with our children? And Michelle answers, 'we did our best',' Ozon says. 'And I think Michelle is heroic to have this reaction, but at the same time she's monstrous.' Whether the poisoning was accidental is never resolved. 'Life is full of ambiguity, contradictions, it is not black-and-white,' Ozon says. 'And that is what I like to show. I like all my characters.' Even snarling Valerie, who begins as an unambiguous hate figure, has her reasons, at least in her own mind. Her sweet, elfin-faced mother made her living as a prostitute; she and Marie-Claude worked together. People found out; of course they did. Valerie can never forgive her mother for that shame. That idea, says Ozon, came to him as this poisoned family took shape in his mind. 'It was step by step. I liked the idea of a woman with a past – and the fact that the past is always coming back in your life. You can't erase it. I did a lot of research into children with mothers who were prostitutes. I realised there were two kinds of reaction. Some children punish their mothers with shame. Others understand it, accept and think their mothers were just victims of social circumstances. And try to help them, especially as they age. Because in France, prostitutes have no place. They don't have pensions or social security. Really, it's a very strong thing for spectators to respond to this in their imaginations. To make them understand the situation.' In a filmography otherwise distinguished by its variety, ageing women have been Ozon's go-to subject. 'I love old people in movies – and old women have been rendered almost invisible,' he says. 'Maybe less in France because we love our old actresses – but then, some old actresses in France don't look old any more! I love to have real actresses whom we can see are 70 or 80 years old, the idea they are beautiful as they are. And filming them in a natural way, you know.' That requires their trust, which he has built up with several of France's senior stars over the years. 'The advantage with old actresses is that the past is on their faces. So it is very touching when they let you make some close-ups. Helene Vincent is a great actress, and you see her life on her face or just in her way of walking. Just watching her can tell us so many things.' His choices still meet some resistance. 'I never say I want to make a political movie, but equally I realise that to choose two old actresses as the leads is political,' he says. Still, he adds that things are better than they used to be. In 2000, he made the first of three collaborations with Charlotte Rampling. Under the Sand is a spare and enigmatic film about a woman whose husband goes missing, presumed drowned, after going for a swim one morning. 'I couldn't find the money. Everybody tells me Charlotte Rampling is too old: she will interest nobody. And she was only 50! Can you imagine?' Loading Undeterred, he made a splash two years later with his murder mystery musical Eight Women, which featured Fanny Ardant, Catherine Deneuve and an 85-year-old Danielle Darrieux; it brought him an international audience and remains his most critically and commercially successful film. 'Hopefully things have changed now. It was not so difficult to finance this time.' Ozon has been surprised by the responses he has had to the new film. 'It is an amoral movie. I leave space for the audience to make their own judgment of the situations; I like this game with an audience. But sometimes you think much more perverse things than I have in mind; it's amazing to hear some spectators say what they have seen in the story. Sometimes I'm shocked!' He smiles urbanely; it is hard to imagine what on earth would shock Francois Ozon. 'But the film doesn't belong to me any more. It's very touching when someone puts his own obsession into your story because often people are talking about themselves, especially in a film about family relationships. Some women feel very close to Michelle. Others say that she is a monster: her daughter is suffering.' For others, the mushroom becomes a metaphor for the toxicity in the family. 'And why not? If you want to see that, why not? For me, it was more about nature – and the fact nature can be beautiful and dangerous at the same time.' Like these aged women, he adds, looking impish. 'I like the idea Michelle looks like a perfect grandmother, but she is more complex. It is kind of a cliche to idealise old people. Old people can be dangerous! Be careful!' So, is she guilty? Unlike real mushroom poisoners, Michelle never faces court, so never answers the key questions. Ozon says he knows the answers, but he won't tell. In San Sebastian, where foraging for mushrooms is part of life, audience sympathies were with Michelle; a mushroom mistake could happen to anyone. For Australians, it may be another story. Loading When Fall Is Coming is in cinemas from July 31. Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
We know how the mushroom trial ended. In this film, we can't be sure
In one of those strange confluences of art and real life, Francois Ozon's When Fall Is Coming is getting its Australian release just as the dust settles on the closely watched trial of Erin Patterson. The film hinges on another mushroom poisoning, this time cooked in what looks like a delicious fricassee by an elderly mother for her daughter and grandson. The film had its international premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival last year, long before the Beef Wellington story spread to Europe. Recent events do, however, lend Ozon's elusive, charming film an extra tang. Michelle (Helene Vincent) is 70 years old, living in a picturesque cottage on the outskirts of a small town in Burgundy. She gardens; she cooks and makes preserves; she has the typical French reverence for eating that means she sets the table properly even when she is alone. Her most constant companion is Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko), a longstanding friend of similar age; the two of them go foraging in the woods, go to church on Sundays, and enjoy a wine or two. But all is not calm. Michelle's daughter, Valerie (Ludivine Sagnier), hates her and is rude and vicious and demanding. Michelle, desperate to maintain her close kinship with Lucas, her beloved grandson, tries to mollify her, but in vain. When Valerie is taken ill after their lunch, she accuses her mother of trying to kill her. Michelle wonders if that might be true. Is she losing her wits? Or does some part of her want to get rid of this bitter, bullying woman, even if she is her daughter? Wouldn't life be better if Valerie were dead? Loading It is the unspeakable question; this film asks it aloud. 'I had in mind a very good friend of mine who had an addicted son,' Ozon says. 'Her life was so difficult, and when he died of an overdose, she was relieved. Of course, she was totally destroyed. But that's the strength of nature – you are able to survive.' Marie-Claude is more inclined to blame herself for the fact that her hapless son Vincent (Pierre Lottin) has led a life of petty crime, culminating in his current prison sentence. 'She asks herself: what have we done wrong with our children? And Michelle answers, 'we did our best',' Ozon says. 'And I think Michelle is heroic to have this reaction, but at the same time she's monstrous.' Whether the poisoning was accidental is never resolved. 'Life is full of ambiguity, contradictions, it is not black-and-white,' Ozon says. 'And that is what I like to show. I like all my characters.' Even snarling Valerie, who begins as an unambiguous hate figure, has her reasons, at least in her own mind. Her sweet, elfin-faced mother made her living as a prostitute; she and Marie-Claude worked together. People found out; of course they did. Valerie can never forgive her mother for that shame. That idea, says Ozon, came to him as this poisoned family took shape in his mind. 'It was step by step. I liked the idea of a woman with a past – and the fact that the past is always coming back in your life. You can't erase it. I did a lot of research into children with mothers who were prostitutes. I realised there were two kinds of reaction. Some children punish their mothers with shame. Others understand it, accept and think their mothers were just victims of social circumstances. And try to help them, especially as they age. Because in France, prostitutes have no place. They don't have pensions or social security. Really, it's a very strong thing for spectators to respond to this in their imaginations. To make them understand the situation.' In a filmography otherwise distinguished by its variety, ageing women have been Ozon's go-to subject. 'I love old people in movies – and old women have been rendered almost invisible,' he says. 'Maybe less in France because we love our old actresses – but then, some old actresses in France don't look old any more! I love to have real actresses whom we can see are 70 or 80 years old, the idea they are beautiful as they are. And filming them in a natural way, you know.' That requires their trust, which he has built up with several of France's senior stars over the years. 'The advantage with old actresses is that the past is on their faces. So it is very touching when they let you make some close-ups. Helene Vincent is a great actress, and you see her life on her face or just in her way of walking. Just watching her can tell us so many things.' His choices still meet some resistance. 'I never say I want to make a political movie, but equally I realise that to choose two old actresses as the leads is political,' he says. Still, he adds that things are better than they used to be. In 2000, he made the first of three collaborations with Charlotte Rampling. Under the Sand is a spare and enigmatic film about a woman whose husband goes missing, presumed drowned, after going for a swim one morning. 'I couldn't find the money. Everybody tells me Charlotte Rampling is too old: she will interest nobody. And she was only 50! Can you imagine?' Loading Undeterred, he made a splash two years later with his murder mystery musical Eight Women, which featured Fanny Ardant, Catherine Deneuve and an 85-year-old Danielle Darrieux; it brought him an international audience and remains his most critically and commercially successful film. 'Hopefully things have changed now. It was not so difficult to finance this time.' Ozon has been surprised by the responses he has had to the new film. 'It is an amoral movie. I leave space for the audience to make their own judgment of the situations; I like this game with an audience. But sometimes you think much more perverse things than I have in mind; it's amazing to hear some spectators say what they have seen in the story. Sometimes I'm shocked!' He smiles urbanely; it is hard to imagine what on earth would shock Francois Ozon. 'But the film doesn't belong to me any more. It's very touching when someone puts his own obsession into your story because often people are talking about themselves, especially in a film about family relationships. Some women feel very close to Michelle. Others say that she is a monster: her daughter is suffering.' For others, the mushroom becomes a metaphor for the toxicity in the family. 'And why not? If you want to see that, why not? For me, it was more about nature – and the fact nature can be beautiful and dangerous at the same time.' Like these aged women, he adds, looking impish. 'I like the idea Michelle looks like a perfect grandmother, but she is more complex. It is kind of a cliche to idealise old people. Old people can be dangerous! Be careful!' So, is she guilty? Unlike real mushroom poisoners, Michelle never faces court, so never answers the key questions. Ozon says he knows the answers, but he won't tell. In San Sebastian, where foraging for mushrooms is part of life, audience sympathies were with Michelle; a mushroom mistake could happen to anyone. For Australians, it may be another story. Loading When Fall Is Coming is in cinemas from July 31. Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.
Al Bawaba
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
'Genocide in 4K': Oscar-winner Javier Bardem condemns global backing of Gaza attacks
ALBAWABA - In a strong public statement, Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem said that Israel, the US, and European countries were all involved in what he called a "genocide" in Gaza and asked everyone to speak out. He wrote this on an Instagram post: That Israel kills. The United States gives money. "Europe backs." His message came with a video of a guy carrying the body of a child who had been killed by an Israeli airstrike. Bardem made a call to his fans and said: "Respectable people like us need to speak out against this genocide." 'Don't keep quiet; if you do, you're also guilty.' El actor español Javier Bardem, denunció el genocidio de Israel en Gaza, acusando a y Europa de complicidad. El actor compartió imágenes impactantes en Instagram y usó su plataforma para exigir acción. Sus declaraciones las realiza en el marco de su primera nominación al… — El Ciudadano (@El_Ciudadano) July 20, 2025 Bardem has been speaking out against Israel's war on Gaza for a number of months now. This speech is one of them. At the 2024 San Sebastián Film Festival, Bardem said that he didn't like keeping quiet. He said that the war was a genocide happening "in front of our eyes and in 4K" at the New York opening of the movie F1. He also said that the Israeli government was breaking international law by committing "crimes against humanity." During an interview on ABC's "The View," he said these things again to support his point of view. Bardem's strong stance has been praised by people who fight for human rights around the world, but it has also been criticized by people who back Israel. Even so, he has argued that staying quiet about these kinds of crimes is like betraying humanity.
Roya News
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Roya News
'Israel kills, USA funds': Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem speaks out on Gaza genocide
Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem has amplified his impassioned stance on the war on Gaza with a stark statement posted recently on his Instagram profile. "ISRAEL kills. The USA funds it. EUROPE supports it,' Bardem captioned the video he posted, showing a man holding the lifeless body of a child killed in an 'Israeli' attack on the Gaza Strip. 'Only we, the decent people, are left to DENOUNCE THIS GENOCIDE!! DON'T STAY SILENT! OR YOU WILL BE COMPLICIT,' Bardem said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Javier Bardem (@bardemantarctic) Bardem's latest social media post echoes and intensifies sentiments he has expressed in recent months. At the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2024, Bardem declared that he was "no longer comfortable being silent on Gaza". Bardem has gone further, labeling the situation as "genocide taking place in front of our eyes in 4K" and accusing the 'Israeli' government of "crimes against humanity" and "violations of international law" at the F1 movie premiere in New York and during an appearance on ABC's The View.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Johnny Depp Makes Unexpected Appearance As Captain Jack Sparrow
brought joy, and a bit of pirate swagger, to children at Niño Jesús University Children's Hospital in Madrid on Monday, June 16, when he made a surprise visit dressed as his iconic "Pirates of the Caribbean" character, Captain Jack Sparrow. The 62-year-old actor, currently in Spain filming his upcoming movie "Day Drinker," slipped into full costume to meet with young patients in their hospital rooms. Photos from the visit show Johnny Depp in full pirate regalia, laughing with children and sharing sweet pinky touches in a heartwarming display that delighted fans and hospital staff alike. "From Osakidetza, and especially from all the staff at the Donostia University Hospital, we would like to express our infinite gratitude to Johnny Depp for his time, support, and energy, as well as to @sansebastianfes for facilitating this visit," the translation reads. This isn't the first time Depp has stepped back into Sparrow's boots for a cause. Just last year, in September 2024, the "Sweeney Todd" star visited Donostia University Hospital in San Sebastián, where he brought joy to children in the Pediatrics and Oncology ward while attending the San Sebastián Film Festival. Over the years, the Oscar-nominated actor has made similar surprise visits in cities across the globe, including Paris, London, Vancouver, Brisbane, and several U.S. cities. 'He took the time to really engage with them and make them smile and laugh,' Patti Smith, a hospital spokesperson, said to ABC News after a 2017 visit to the BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver. Plus, back in 2015, Johnny Depp and his "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" co-star Stephen Graham paid a memorable visit to Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Fully decked out as their characters, Jack Sparrow and Scrum, the duo brought laughter and even a few gold coins to the young patients during the heartwarming surprise appearance. 'For me and my family, it was a fantastic time to meet up and speak with Johnny Depp and put a smile on everyone's faces, especially my daughter,' Kossy Halemai said to CBS News. 'She's recovering well, and to see her smiling. I was emotional and proud.' Nine years ago, during an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," Depp opened up about why these visits hold such personal significance for him. 'I've spent time in Great Ormond Street [a London children's hospital] where I was the parent when my daughter was ill,' he shared, referencing his daughter 's battle with an E. Coli infection in 2007 that ultimately resulted in kidney failure. 'I've known darkness in my life, but that was the darkest period ever when I was doing Sweeney.' Depp added, 'I'd always kind of done these visits, but after that, the visits became more and more important because the kids' bliss, you know, they're so strong, they're so courageous, but the parents are the ones who are slowly dying. And to be able to bring a smile or a giggle to these people means everything in the world to me.' Depp originally brought Jack Sparrow to life in 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," starring alongside and . He would go on to portray the eccentric pirate in four additional films: "Dead Man's Chest" (2006), "At World's End" (2007), "On Stranger Tides" (2011), and "Dead Men Tell No Tales" (2017). During his highly publicized 2022 legal battle with ex-wife , Depp said he had no intention of returning to "Pirates," even quipping that he wouldn't do it 'for $300 million and a million alpacas,' citing feelings of betrayal after Disney cut ties with him amid abuse allegations. Despite the drama, fans and colleagues continue to campaign for his return. In May 2024, franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Entertainment Weekly, 'If it was up to me, [Johnny] would be in it.' He added, 'He created Captain Jack. That was not on the page… That was his interpretation.' While Disney has not officially confirmed Depp's return to the franchise, a July 2023 report claimed there might still be a path back for the actor. Regardless of what the future holds for Jack Sparrow on the big screen, Depp's heartwarming hospital visits prove that his most enduring legacy may lie far beyond the high seas.
