My Old Lady

Jim travels to Paris to sell the large apartment he inherited from his father. He quickly learns the deal is not straightforward: the property is a viager, meaning he won't own it until Mathilde dies and he must pay her a monthly life annuity. The news comes as a shock, made worse by the language barrier with the French lawyer who doesn't speak English.

The full terms of the sale suddenly become clear: Jim will not possess the property while Mathilde lives and he owes her a monthly annuity of €2,400. He grapples with the financial risk and the strange legality of the arrangement. The situation is compounded by the language barrier with the lawyer.

With no money and nowhere to stay, Jim negotiates to live in the apartment by paying rent. To cover the next life annuity payment, he starts selling furniture and even asks a prospective buyer of his contract for advance payments. The temporary refuge suddenly comes with a heavy financial burden.

Jim inquires after Mathilde's health and learns from her doctor that she is in excellent shape. He also discovers she trades English lessons with the fishmonger, revealing a remarkably independent and unexpected rhythm to her life. These details hint at Mathilde's resilience.

Jim invites Chloé and developer Roy to a café to discuss possibly dividing the house into two apartments. Neither likes the idea, so Jim asks for a modest deposit while he considers Roy's offer as a possible way to get cash. The transaction negotiations highlight the tension between potential cash and the moral implications of the viager.

Suspecting Chloé of infidelity or unreliability, Jim tails her after class to a café and then a hotel. He confronts her and attempts to blackmail her to avoid paying the 2,400-euro annuity, exposing his desperation and the financial pressure he faces.

Jim uncovers that Mathilde and his father carried on a long affair for years, beginning seven years before his birth while both were married. The revelation reframes Jim’s understanding of his family history and casts the present situation in a newly emotional light.

Jim tries to make Mathilde see how the adultery affected him and his mother, and he reveals his own drinking and failed marriages as a result. Mathilde shares her own traumas, including a history of suicide attempts, deepening their shared sense of wounded history.

Reflecting on their parents’ pasts, Chloé breaks off her own affair and bonds with Jim over their similar childhoods. They realize they have more in common than they thought and begin to rebuild trust.

Jim notices a photo of himself and Chloé from when they were ten, and Mathilde recalls his father stopping visits after his mother's death. Jim confesses that he once slit his wrists at forty, highlighting the depth of his scars and the fragility of their lives.

Jim and Chloé share a kiss, but a question about whether they share a father looms as Mathilde hints at paternity. He overhears the doubt and resolves to have a paternity test to settle the matter once and for all.

The blood test confirms Jim and Chloé are not related, allowing them to consider a future together in the apartment. Chloé expresses a desire to stay in the apartment, strengthening the case for rejecting a quick sale.

Jim declines Roy's multi-million euro offer for the apartment and contract, arguing that they can still benefit from selling en viager if needed. The prospect of a modest income from the viager becomes acceptable given their youth and the possibility of building a life together.

Jim and Chloé decide to stay in the apartment and continue their life together, with the viager arrangement still an option should circumstances change. The film closes on a note of cautious optimism about their future, built on shared histories and newly formed trust.