115. The Truth (La vérité); movie review

THE TRUTH
Cert PG
107 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild sex references, language

Many directors like to muse on the quirks and irritations of families but few can make them as engaging as  Hirokazu Koreeda.
Usually, he benefits from the layers of intrigue created by a background of Japanese culture but this time he takes an all-star cast and bases The Truth in France.
Mrs W wasn't very taken with a movie which meanders but I wallowed in the brilliance of Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche.
They play a mother and daughter who have myriad skeletons in the closet, wind each other up viciously and yet can't help keep going back for more. Families, eh?
Deneuve's character Fabienne is a star of French cinema and is fawned over by her personal assistant (Alain Libolt) and latest husband (Christian Crahay).
When she publishes her memoirs, her screen-writer daughter (Binoche) comes home to Paris from New York with her husband (Ethan Hawke) and young child (Clémentine Grenier).
The book sparks debates over the official truth and the real truth.
While the film may be light on action, it, nevertheless, elicits the finest performance from Deneuve that I have witnessed.
She is caustic to the point of being horribly rude and yet those around her accept her attitude because of her talent.
However, while she is capable of occasional brilliance, she doesn't have the mastery of her lines in the way she once did.
This first brush with vulnerability gradually prompts her to open up to her daughter who is incisively critical of her parenting skills, past and present.
The chemistry between Deneuve and Binoche is the springboard for The Truth's quiet success.
Surprisingly, this is the first time they have starred together in a movie and they both clearly relished the chance, combining their characters' regular sparring with a deep-seated love and respect.
Usually, I would have joined Mrs W in complaining about the lack of action in The Truth but, not for the first time, Koreeda's work chimed with me.

Reasons to watch: Deneuve and Binoche together for the first time
Reasons to avoid: Not much action

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? The daughter of two famous stage actors, Maurice Dorléac and Renée Simonot, Catherine adopted her mother’s maiden name, Deneuve, to distinguish herself when her own acting career began.

The final word. Hirokazu Koreeda: "I was pretty sure I couldn’t make in Japan partly because I didn’t have anyone that I could cast for this kind of role. That led to this being made in France because France has Deneuve! I don’t think I could have done it in America either.” Filmed In Ether

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