An Autumn Tale

What is wonderful about this film is the natural turn of events that don't seem forced. This is the sort of film about events that you might overhear one casual afternoon while sipping on your coffee in a cafe in France. Like with all Rohmer's films there is an open ended resolution. Beautiful and interesting locations as well and characters that are quite complex. Good if you are tired of Hollywood rom-com genre rehashing and want something smarter and realistic.

I didn't think movie was that great. I loved the atmosphere though, it's calm, warm and peaceful. But the acting was (often) quite wooden and the story pretty bland

A small, charming, and deceptively simple tale about love and companionship filled with real complex people dealing with real naturalistic situations.

Perhaps it's the focus on older people but it took me longer to warm up to this than most Rohmer films. That and the plot based on deception among the characters, which I don't generally like. But the great characterizations and dialogue are there, Rohmer avoids the normal pitfalls of the plot devices he uses, and by the end I very much enjoyed this little story.

Kind of silly, bordering on absurd at times, but still absolutely lovely.

Another superb Rohmer, this time not focusing on young people.

8?

One has to start somewhere, & the beginning of this movie starts without interest. After a bit a story begins which is enjoyable in a simple easygoing way aside from the abrupt jump cuts. Fun and not unlike attending a short story.

Summer > Spring > Winter >= Autumn

I grew weary of Rohmer's mannerisms very fast, and I've been watching his films without much appetite - but I always end up persuaded to grant him a positive score. Indeed, I first found Autumn (the last in its tetralogy) to be barely distinguishable from the others: All relationship talk and everyone wears everything on their sleeve because Rohmer likes to spoon-feed his viewers. Some of it even *looks* the same as Claire's Knee (from 30 years prior). It did get better as it went along.

It's nice to hang out with people who believe things are going to work out and have the patience to let things happen, trusting that good conversation and good wine bring people together. Also there are moments here where each of the two lead actresses are simply radiant--Rohmer uses the light in masterful ways here.

Rohmer's best looking film (with an opening that seems too much like Ozu for it to not be conscious) but kind of lacking in the power of the earlier seasonal tales. It's not fair but widow winemakers just don't resonate the way that sad twentysomethings do. I mean, Magali's situation definitely stings in that specific Rohmer way, but it just means less to me. Still, this film is so gorgeous.