Summer Hours (2009)

Synopsis
Three siblings must come to terms with their mother's mortality as they decide what to do with her valuable belongings in this warm family drama from filmmaker Olivier Assayas. Helene Berthier (Edith Scob) is about to turn 75, and her children are gathering at her home in the country for a party. Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) has flown in from New York City, where she lives with her boyfriend James (Kyle Eastwood). Jeremie (Jeremie Renier) has taken a rare break from his globe-trotting business interests to stop by with his wife (Valerie Bonneton). And Frederic (Charles Berling), the only one who lives close enough to visit regularly, has also come with his spouse Lisa (Dominique Reymond). Helene has inherited a large and valuable collection of art from her brother, and with her health beginning to fail, she approaches Frederic and asks that he, Jeremie and Adrienne come up with a plan to deal with the pieces after her death. Frederic wants to keep the collection together and see if they can persuade a gallery to purchase and present them as a set. Jeremie and Adrienne have other ideas, but as he's pondering a business opportunity in China and she's planning on settling in America for good, they don't have as much influence over the final decision as Frederic. L'heure d'ete (aka Summer Hours) was produced in part by the celebrated French art gallery Musee d'Orsay, and was one of a handful of films created to honor the museum in its twentieth anniversary year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide