After making a huge splash with his Oscar-nominated and Palme d’Or-winning film, Shoplifters, back in 2018, writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda returns with The Truth—his first film not set in Japan or in his native language. Rather, it’s a French family drama that follows Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve), one of the most highly regarded actors of French cinema, who was beloved in her heyday. However, she’s not beloved by all, as she has a problematic relationship with her daughter, Lumir (Juliette Binoche), who holds a major grudge against her for putting her career before her family. Lumir, a screenwriter, lives in New York with her American husband Hank (Ethan Hawke), a struggling TV actor, and their daughter Charlotte (Clementine Grenier).
When Lumir and her family visit Fabienne in order to support her during the release of her “tell-all” book and her latest role in a sci-fi film alongside a rising young starlet (Manon Clavel), ugly truths begin to come out, causing a less than warm reunion between mother and daughter. It sounds heavy, but Kore-eda blends a lot of the saddening drama of Fabienne reaching the end of her climactic days as an actor and Lumir’s deep-seated anger towards her mother with refreshing humor.
Moments like Fabienne making Charlotte believe she has magic powers and can turn people, like her ex-husband and Lumir’s father Pierre (Roger Van Hool), into animals are very funny and even Hank attempting to follow along with everyone speaking French is just absolutely hilarious. Kore-eda creates a warmth through these moments that’s very comforting and makes for a much more emotionally enriching experience. Not to mention, it helps ease some of the harsh tension of Fabienne and Lumir’s fractured relationship and Fabienne’s distorted view of the world.
Not finding the same kind of recognition and stardom she found before, Fabienne has become disillusioned with the film industry and incredibly self-centered. She’s constantly giving backhanded compliments towards Hank for “not being a ‘real’ actor” in her eyes, being petty towards the director and young talent of her new film and being unapologetic about her past mistakes. She’s basically the kind of actor you hear is a total nightmare, however, Kore-eda also allows Fabienne a softer side and Deneuve is absolutely magnificent from start to finish.
Deneuve adds a personal touch and vulnerability to her performance that makes Fabienne (which is actually Deneuve’s middle name) so compelling to watch. Her stubbornness and refusal to see things outside of her own view is a perfect mask for her insecurities about her fleeting fame. Her vanity and inability to accept when people are better than her on set or that her actions have caused major ripples in her relationship with Lumir could make her easy to peg as a villain. There’s even a moment where Fabienne says that she’s fine being a bad mother and a bad friend as long as being a good actress is right alongside it and it shows how warped her views have become. However, Deneuve and Kore-eda make Fabienne find the redemption and inspiration she needs through having deeper experiences with her family–even Hank–and it makes the final moments between Fabienne, Lumir, and her rising young co-star more impactful.
Binoche is also great here, as she makes it hard not to empathize and feel all of the begrudging feelings Lumir has about Fabianne’s new book because it only fleshes out “the truth” that her mother wants people to believe. Binoche’s performance will likely resonate with many viewers, as Lumir simply wants her mother to own up to her mistakes so she can find forgiveness and their relationship can improve. Throughout the film, it’s easy to see how the new film that Fabienne is in mirrors Lumir’s issues with her mother and it makes for a very fulfilling tale about forgiveness and what we consider to be “the truth” of how we view our lives and other people. Hawke is also great as a sort of compassionate family man trying to not be a total outsider by trying to gain the respect of those around him. Kore-eda utilizes him perfectly, as more of a genuinely uplifting part of the film who always gives off those perfectly good dad vibes that are just impossible to resist.
The Truth delivers the kind of comforting and compassionate family drama that any viewer can enjoy and will instantly warm your heart. While it’s still a little early to call–especially with the ongoing debate if there will even be an awards season this year–it wouldn’t surprise me to see The Truth help Kore-eda get back into the Best International Feature category at the Oscars or for Deneuve to get some well deserved recognitions as well.
