May Fools

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May Fools ★★★ Milou en Mai; Milou in May 1990 (R)

Malle portrays individuals collectively experiencing personal upheaval against the backdrop of unrelated social upheaval. An upper-crust family gathers at a country estate for the funeral of the clan's matriarch, while the May of ‘68 Parisian riots unfold. Few among the family members mourn the woman's passing, save her son Milou (Piccoli) who leads a pastoral existence tending grapes on the estate. Milou's daughter (Miou-Miou), like the others, is more concerned with her personal gain, suggesting, to her father's horror, that they divide the estate in three. Touching, slow, keenly observed. In French with English subtitles. 105m/C VHS . FR Michel Piccoli, Miou-Miou, Michel Duchaussoy, Dominique Blanc, Harriet Walter, Francois Berleand, Paulette Dubost, Bruno Carette, Martine Gautier; D: Louis Malle; W: Jean-Claude Carriere, Louis Malle; C: Renato Berta; M: Stephane Grappelli. Cesar ‘91: Support. Actress (Blanc).

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