As major studios continue to cancel releases during the cinema closure period, other distributors continue their planned schedule. ‘The Truth’ was going to be a simultaneous cinema and streaming release but now it is available exclusively on Curzon Home Cinema. It stars Catherine Deneuve as an aging French film star, Fabienne Dangeville. On release of her autobiography, Fabienne’s daughter, Lumir (Juliette Binoche) arrives from America with her TV actor husband, Hank (Ethan Hawke). The description of her childhood in the book does not ring true to Lumir, but her efforts to explain that put a greater strain on their relationship.
This is a film without any great surprises or dramatic resolutions as the story evolves slowly and realistically. It is by far at its strongest when Fabienne and Lumir are on screen together and director Hirokazu Koreeda lets the two great actresses do their thing. Deneuve in particular gives a nuanced performance in a role that in other hands could have been a one note ogre.
Hawke – an actor I usually like – fares less well. I understand that he us meant to be a bit of an outsider, but he never seems comfortable and overacts in a way that I have not seen him do before. Also, I could have done with fewer scenes of Fabienne shooting her latest movie, an awful science fiction tale. I know it is meant to draw parallels with her personal life, but that felt a bit heavy-handed especially as the rest of Koreeda’s screenplay has a elegant light touch.
Even if you don’t engage fully with the story, this is worth watching for the two lead performances alone.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10