Bonjour Tristesse (2025)

A young girl (Lily McInerny) and her widowed father (Claes Bang) are spending an idle summer in the South of France, along with his latest mistress (Nailia Harzoune). The summer takes a turn when the best friend (Chloe Sevigny) of her mother shows up. Based on the novel by Francoise Sagan (previously filmed in 1958) and adapted for the screen and directed by Durga Chew Bose in her feature film directorial debut. Not a bad film but I was still disappointed. It made me appreciate the 1958 Otto Preminger film all the more. The direction by Durga Chew Bose is too languid and there are several instances where you just want to move on to the next scene. As the privileged amoral father, Claes Bang has no personality at all and as the daughter, McInerny tries to bring some gravitas to her spoiled teen but there's something lacking. Instead of making a movie about superficial people, the director has made a movie that seems superficial instead. If there's a reason to check out the film, it's Sevigny's strong performance which dominates the film. With Aliocha Schneider and Nathalie Richard.