Is it possible that a passion - strictu sensu - lasts over 31 years? This movie tries to demonstrate that is possible... Antoine Lavau (interpreted by Gérard Depardieu) concomitant with his job of supervising the beginning of a great enterprise in an ancient french possession (Argel or Marocco?) searches desperately "to fix a mistake" done in his past: the fear of to be repudiated in his avowal of love for Cécile (Catherine Deneuve), in despite of both we're involved in a whirligig passion in a remote summer of '70s (by the way, to her, the first love...). Antoine, now a rich entrepreneur of (construction) line of business meet again Cécile married with a doctor (Natan) born in that place who absolutely doesn't look Cécile as a goddess, like Antoine does. This becomes patent when, in a scene where both talk and Natan confesses that he has several lovers ("of all kind, all nationalities") and he is bored with his marriage... By her hand, Cécile does not love him anymore as before, because he reveals himself as a "heman" or because he treats his own son (Sami) in a careless way, ignoring completely his emotional feelings. In face of this situation, Cécile created a shell around her and this shell is a mixture of feminism and hardness in her relationship, mainly with men. That's obvious when she meets Antoine in a hotel room, after had repudiated him more than once... An accident put them together - same that in a provisory manner - occasion in which they will try to correct, no matter how lately, the "mistake" of the past. The interpretations: Gérard Depardieu is not so well as in the other roles, but he transmit us some tenderness while Catherine Deneuve "ravissante" (charming) in her 60 years give us an interpretation firm and faithful to psicologic shadows of her character. In a scale of 1 to 10, I vote : 8.

I very much liked this film. I have been a Deneuve fan for a long time and really enjoyed seeing her in another Téchiné picture. This director has a very ambiguous way of making his characters very human and very enigmatic simultaneously. The music he chooses is fantastic. Watching this, I was very much reminded of his 1996 film, Les Voleurs, also starring Deneuve. Les Temps qui Changent is part comedy, part family drama, part romance, and part political commentary. The film doesn't drag--it simmers and feels very alive. Morocco is quite a setting. In such a contrast to the mainstream American films, this film is subtle and unapologetic. The viewers come to care about not only the characters but their world as well. The subplots do not detract but only enhance the realistic and cultural quality of the film. Without a doubt worth watching. Téchiné is a master.

André Techiné sets this story of undying love against a complicated backdrop of conflicted individuals living in today's fragmented world. Essentially a simple story of a middle-aged pair whose paths have not crossed in 30 years, until one of them, still smitten and unable to relinquish his love, throws himself, unwelcome, into the life of the other. Deneuve is at her restrained best, further shown to advantage by the always watchable Depardieu. The film's other main message is that life is complex and hard, that connections are increasingly difficult to maintain, and our attention must be scattered but vigilant in order to survive. Techiné throws in so many pieces of commentary on modern life that, while the main story is relatively simple, the viewer comes away under a heavy weight, as if having watched an epic film.

i am such a fan of deneuve and depardieu that i will pretty much see any non- American film that they make. i also hold the other two Techine/Deneuve film projects amongst my favorite french films. so, for these reasons, i saw this film at last weeks Boston MFA's French Film Festival.Unfortunately, I think I regret the time spent with it.The screenplay was just not good. Too much time with side stories of the son that i really did not care about. I feel that the lead performances were wasted because the screenwriter/director did not give enough structure to the three adults (about their pasts together)on which to build a believable present situation. Tant pis. i do hope techine will recover and share with us more of the talent that produced Les Voleurs and Ma Saison Preferee.