Whānau Mārama: NZ Int. Film Festival; One Fine Morning

Léa Seydoux stars as a busy single mom, juggling caring for her daughter and her ailing father, who finds love in unexpected circumstances in Mia Hansen-Løve’s nimble romantic drama.

After Bergman Island (NZIFF 2021), French auteur Mia Hansen-Løve returns to Parisian home-turf and semi-autobiographical mode in this nuanced, bittersweet tale of Sandra (a luminous Léa Seydoux), a widowed single mother and translator, whose life revolves around nurturing her young daughter and caring for her ailing father – until a chance encounter with an old friend reintroduces love, albeit under complicated circumstances, into her existence. — Sandra Reid

“Throughout her career, Mia Hansen-Løve has returned to a familiar milieu – the daily lives of women, drawing out a poignant beauty and humanist sense of drama in the quotidian rhythms of mothers as they go about their work, as well as their caretaking of children, parents and their own inner worlds. There’s something fascinating, and indeed feminist, about simply watching these women, played by some of Europe’s most talented actresses (Isabelle Huppert in Things to Come [NZIFF 2016], Vicky Krieps in Bergman Island), simply exist in the world, maintaining the delicate balance of day-to-day harmony despite the larger ups and downs that threaten to upend everything.” — Katie Walsh, The Wrap

“Shot in gorgeous natural light… and backed by a soundtrack of typically esoteric needle drops, [Hansen-Løve] delivers her finest in years by doing what she’s always done best: a humanistic story of when to love and when to let go.” — Rory O’Connor, The Film Stage

112 Mins. Rated M. Sex scenes, offensive language & nudity