Levity is not really something one would associate with the cinematic universe of Joachim Lafosse, the Belgian director whose works have dealt head-on with subjects like divorce (After Love), mental illness (The Restless) and pedophilia (A Silence). And yet there’s a playfulness to his new work Six Days in Spring (Six jours ce printemps-là), premiering in San Sebastián’s Official Selection. Lafosse’s pedigree will undoubtedly help it travel, although fans of his heavier fare might be less likely to check it out (the absence of marquee names in the main cast could also impact its commercial prospects to some degree).
Eye Haïdara, in a starring role that ought to increase her already considerable profile in French-speaking territories, plays Sana, a mother of two twin boys (Leonis and Teodor Pinero Müller, both very natural in their screen debuts) who wishes for the kids to have a proper spring vacation. However, her options are severely limited, which leads to an out-of-the-blue decision: they will spend a week on the Riviera, in a luxury villa owned by Sana’s in-laws.
Or rather, her former in-laws. In fact, she specifically instructs the boys not to tell anyone about this impromptu getaway, especially the grandparents or her former husband. Outside of the main family unit, the only person in the know is Sana’s new beau (Jules Waringo), who joins them for what is supposed to be a fun week of seaside relaxation. Then again, it’s not that fun when everyone has to keep a low profile, lest someone alert the homeowners to their presence…
Per the press notes, the film stems from Lafosse’s desire for calm and sweetness as part of his artistic path, a yearning that began with The Restless (whereas A Silence, filmed right after, was an older script not reflective of this new era). It’s also a very personal project, as the script is rooted in the filmmaker’s own childhood experiences (the key difference between real life and the fictionalization, besides the family’s ethnicity, concerns the legal ramifications of their actions). And while there is a social subtext about class, it never detracts from the overall gentleness that characterizes Lafosse’s approach to story and character.
It is, effectively, a bit of a summer film, albeit one set in the spring, the season of rebirth which marks a new chapter in Sana’s life. Haïdara’s deceptively joyful eyes are our main conduit into this world of contradictions, where everyone’s having a whale of a time but largely within the confines of an opulent reminder of the life they have, for all intents and purposes, been shut out of. A week of absolute freedom, spent in what is to some degree a prison, as the fun slowly makes way for suspense as to whether the vacation will end without serious consequences or not.
In that sense, it is fitting for the only two big names in the cast to be cameos (or, as the French credits put it, “participations”): Damien Bonnard and Emmanuelle Devos, both veterans of Lafosse’s worlds, show up for one scene each as intrusive elements, the surroundings seeking to interrupt the peaceful mood, emissaries of a universe that is not quite compatible with the family’s new way of life. And as Sana moves on, so does the director, taking a well-deserved break from the more harrowing topics he’s used to exploring. The dark(er) undercurrent remains, but not to the point of dampening the sun-drenched, breezy energy of a film that is a new beginning for all parties involved.
Director: Joachim Lafosse
Screenwriters: Joachim Lafosse, Chloé Duponchelle, Paul Ismaël
Cast: Eye Haïdara, Leonis Pinero Müller, Teodor Pinero Müller, Jules Waringo, Damien Bonnard, Emmanuelle Devos
Producers: Anton Iffland-Stettner, Eva Kuperman, Régine Vial, Alexis Dantec, Jani Thiltges, Hans Everaert
Cinematography: Jean-François Hensgens
Production design: Julietta Fernandez
Costume design: Virginia Ferreira
Sound: Alain Goniva, François Dumont, Thomas Gauder
Production companies: Stenola Productions, Les Films du Losange, Samsa Film, Menuetto
World sales: Les Films du Losange
Venue: San Sebastián International Film Festival (Official Selection)
In French
94 minutes
