My Favorite Season

The film is set in contemporary France during the 1990s, anchored by a Christmas Eve gathering and the days that follow. Social norms and middle-class expectations shape the conflicts among Émilie, Antoine, Bruno, and Berthe, reflecting a period before the digital era altered family dynamics. The timeframe emphasizes intimate, face-to-face interactions and the emotional texture of a family in transition.

The story largely unfolds around Berthe's move from a rural farmhouse to the bourgeois home in Blagnac, a suburb near Toulouse, highlighting the clash between old-country life and modern comforts. Key locations include the countryside farm, the family townhouse, and later a retirement home, all of which frame the characters' shifting responsibilities and tensions. Scenes at the bar where Lucien works and the river where Antoine skinny-dips provide contrast to the indoor domestic spaces and underscore moments of release from family pressure.

🎭 Family drama

The film centers on a fractured family under the weight of aging, pride, and unspoken resentments. Generational rifts between Berthe, Émilie, and Antoine surface during Christmas, exposing how care and affection are mediated through duty and perception. The narrative questions whether true reconciliation is possible when long-standing grievances fester beneath a polished surface.

🧓 Aging & care

Berthe's decline tests the family's ability to provide support without sacrificing their independence. The decision to move her to a nursing home, and the later attempt to bring her back home, reveal guilt and obligation surrounding caregiving. The film portrays aging as a vulnerable phase that reshapes relationships and responsibilities.

🪶 Memory & nostalgia

Memory anchors the characters as they revisit childhood songs and rituals. Berthe's sharp memories contrast with moments of renewed closeness when Émilie and Antoine recall the past. Nostalgia functions as a lens to examine identity and the difficulty of preserving family bonds amid present failings.