AFFFF25 Juliette in Spring

Featuring a fantastic ensemble cast, the charming new dramedy by Blandine Lenoir (Aurore, AF FFF18; Annie’s Fire, AF FFF23) follows a young woman’s efforts to reconnect to herself and her family during an unexpectedly eventful trip home. When 35-year-old Juliette (Izïa Higelin, La Belle Saison), a children’s book illustrator, returns to her country village to spend some downtime with her loved ones, what she encounters is anything but low-key. Her harried elder sister Marylou (Sophie Guillemin, in a scene-stealing turn) is carrying on a “ one-day-a-week " affair with a man from the costume shop, her grandmother is becoming frailer by the day, and her long-separated parents are feuding – he (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) is kind but emotionally distant, she (Noémie Lvovsky) is wildly-revelling in the second act of her life as a single woman. As buried memories and long-held secrets stir to the surface, Juliette must grapple with how to remain connected to the fractured family’s story, and reclaim her own identity. Based on a graphic novel by Camille Jourdy (whose work formed the basis for the equally-winning hit Rosalie Blum), Lenoir’s gorgeous film finds pathos and humour in even the worst behaviours of her richly captured protagonists. JULIETTE is a gem to be treasured.