Things to Come follows Nathalie, a woman whose life is fairly stable, and things gradually shift in an understated way until her life is completely changed and unrecognizable by the end of the film in comparison to the beginning. It is a French film starring Isabelle Huppert as a philosophy teacher, wife, mother and daughter who begins to clarify her identity apart from all those relationships anddiscover new ways of filling her life. If you decide to see this film, do not read IMDb’s summary because it is way too detailed about the plot and gives a lot away, which could ruins the effect that the movie is supposed to have.
2016 was a big year for Isabelle Huppert, and if you were a movie viewer with any level of interest in foreign films, specifically French, you would have to be under a rock to not know that she was in two big movies that year: Elle and Things to Come. Not that I had to choose one, I could have seen both or neither, but I decided to see Elle for reasons completely unrelated to Huppert—I’m into Paul Verhoeven’s films, and instantly became a fan. Before that point, I had probably seen Huppert in films, but I did not remember her. She was either so good an actor that she was a chameleon or did not stand out in comparison to other members of the cast. I considered seeing Things to Come in theaters, but the I did not find the movie synopsis appealing so I put it in my queue with no sense of urgency.
I am shocked at how strikingly similar Huppert’s characters’ external lives are, specifically the people who are part of her opening routine, in Elle and Things to Come in spite of how different their personalities are. Huppert has a way of making the quotidian life of a mature woman seem full and worthy of note instead of leaving the viewer wondering why we are seeing a woman’s routine which we normally take for granted or would rather pass over as uninteresting. She makes working, managing a household and caring for an elderly mother in another location feel action packed and just as important as the wheeling and dealing of leading men whose characters have power, position and money. It is very French to imbue daily life with a sense of importance and significance that most American films usually reserve for obviously dramatic, sensational moments, but Huppert can pull it off.
Unlike Elle, Things to Come occasionally shows other characters’ perspectives, but we mostly follow Nathalie who is of an age that she does not get worked up over much including major events. She is a cerebral character, but as her life changes, Huppert convincingly opens herself up to more emotion, which takes her by surprise. When she does show anger, it makes sense, and I completely cosign her flip the table moment. I loved how she has to train herself to adjust to situations. The narrative features subtle notes to reflect her transformation through food. She goes from eating with someone, to just preparing meals for that person to ignoring blatant hints for a dinner invitation. There are other practical moments like keeping the bag and not the present that it comes in. Cataclysms are so understated and light which does not reduce the impact of that change in the story.
The central thesis of Things to Come is uttered by a character fairly early in the film. The film’s challenge to its viewer is, “Can we place ourselves in the place of the other?” I would answer affirmatively in the case of this specific movie. I mostly related to Nathalie even though we were very dissimilar. It sounds like a nightmare spending time with a bunch of young philosophers. I did not want to spend time with young philosophers when we were the same age. One person casually mentions that he is an anarchist, and I found him instantaneously insufferable so I was thrilled that the script did not take a more conventional turn with his part in the overall story. I wholeheartedly agreed with her husband’s assessment of her relationship with the anarchist. Her mom’s attitude regarding firemen mirrors my mother’s. Both are former models. Eerie!
I did have one problem with Nathalie. I want to call cat DCF on her and will happily help Pandora, the black cat, sue her for being a bad human. Don’t worry. Pandora is fine and never gets permanently lost or dies, but I did not need that kind of negligence in my life.
While I enjoyed Things to Come, if you don’t like subtitles, this movie does not have to be the first foreign film that you watch. I was sick when I watched it so while I enjoyed it, it also did not make such an amazing impression that I could not stop seeing it or felt compelled to watch it again. It could be me, but it is worth noting that I did not fall asleep, and I know that I was having a hard time focusing and staying upright the entire day. I have fallen asleep during movies that I loved so it definitely has something going for it to sustain my attention without being flashy. I would definitely watch more films that Mia Hansen-Love directs and am always rooting for a woman director, but I did not know that she directed it until after I saw the film so she was not a reason for seeing the films. It was solid, beautiful, visually arresting, peaceful and clear, but I’m not going to be rushing to the theater to see her films or adding all of them to my queue yet. If she makes a movie with a plot that I am drawn to, I will not hesitate to watch it.
I enjoyed Things to Come and highly recommend it as one of Huppert’s better films after Elle. Huppert always gives an amazing performance regardless of the quality of the overall film, which lately has been rocky. To put it in perspective, Hansen-Love has bested Neil Jordan and Ira Sachs, two renown film directors with tons of experience and classics under their belt. She is young so while she does not get the blank check that comes with impressing me, she definitely has proven herself worthy of Huppert’s talents. A must see if you are a fan of French films or Huppert.