'The Father Of My Children' tells the story of the family of a film producer who comes under financial stress. Plot-wise, the film surprises when the expected ending occurs half-way through; we thus get to also see the aftermath. There's nothing wrong with this per se, although it means we really have two stories in one, and the overall narrative arc is thus slightly broken. But I don't think this is the only reason this film seems strangely devoid of dramatic tension. Even though there are some fairly notable developments, nothing really seems to upset the serenity of its affluent characters. At one point, there's a power cut and the lights go off; after a few minutes, they come back on again, and in some ways, that's how the whole film feels: stuff happens, but the consequences always seem not to actually matter that much. I normally like understated films; but this one, although nicely put together, feels underplayed, and therefore, just a little uninteresting.

In response to previous reviews, commenting on this movie's failure to live up to its so- called "roller-coaster of emotions" hype, I agree. Happily. This movie is not an edge of your seat, thrill at every corner, emotion jerker- and that's what makes it superb. Hansen- Løve binds this movie to a sense of realism which i find translates perfectly to its audience, and relates to its audience. The movie illustrates Grégoire's progression towards suicide, and the life for the family he leaves behind, in a non- appeasing, human way. Grégoire's story may not provide the audience with explanations, excuses or a nice dramatic lead up to his death. Scene by scene, the audience is given mixed messages from Grégoire, leading us to feel unprepared for his sudden death. But that is suicide, in its realest form. And Hansen- Løve has successfully translated this feeling from the Canvel family to the audience. In justification of the so called "pointless" scenes, a scene sampling the relationship between the elder daughter and the writer boy who met with Grégoire, or another sampling the elder daughters pursuance of her half brother, is completely adequate. The daughter is rebuilding her life after Grégoire's death, which cannot be shown to us in a detailed, flowing, coherent way- because that is not the way she is living it. The broken, inconsistent scenes of the elder daughter's, the younger daughters' and the wife's lives, are shown to the audience in the same way they are lived by the characters.The scenes prior to Grégoire's death, however, construct a solid image of the emotional bond and unity of the 5 members of the Canvel family- scenes such as a giggling Valentine being discovered by Grégoire, hiding in his bed, or Billie floating alone in the pool of water, being watched over by her mother. I think in order to profit from this movie, the audience's expectations should be shifted from a "rollercoaster ride of emotions" kind of movie- complete with drama, coherence, and a relevant, easy to follow plot- to that of a sincere expression of life as it is, and how it continues- captured on film. In this respect, it is superb.

This film has been well reviewed, described as a 'roller-coaster' and emotional, so I was prepared for something quite heavy. However some 30 minutes in, nothing much had happened. The film centers around Gregoire a husband, father and workaholic who runs a film production company that is facing massive financial issues. In between continuous phone calls and business meetings, Gregoire spends time with his family, at their apartment or at the house in the country. The family seem very close and content, but away from this Gregoire is in crisis mode.The start of the film plays outs very slowly, but there is a sense that something tragic will happen. Of course it does, but the effect is less than I would expect. Gregoire's death devastates those around him and his wife is left to pick up the pieces. What should be an emotional, er, roller-coaster fails to engage on an emotional level because while we see Gregoire is up against life, there is no indication that life is so bad that suicide is the answer. There is also no shock element to his death, Gregoire burns some papers then walks along and shoots himself and it all seemed unrealistic.The film also struggles as there is an immense array of pointless scenes: the elder daughter sitting in a cafe ordering a coffee, the family walking around a church in Italy. All of these scenes add nothing except to drag out the story which after the death introduces a secret child and a friendship between the elder daughter and a young man who was to work with her fathers company. Neither of these stories are explored in any detail and so add nothing to the film either.It's a shame that for me the film didn't engage. There are some nice performances, especially from the daughters and the scenes of the family are actually quite endearing. What a loss then that a potentially interesting and emotional story set inside the world of film making is nothing but slow and a little boring.More of my reviews at iheartfilms.weebly.com

Seeing "Le père de mes enfants" you would think that its writer-director, Mia Hansen-Løve, is in the last part of her career, that she has gone through the ups and downs of a long life, has made peace with it and is now able to contemplate the world with wisdom and understanding. And you would be totally wrong. Mia Hansen-Løve was only twenty-seven when she made this profound film.She took her inspiration from two real-life models, Humbert Balsan, a brilliant film producer who took his life at the age of 51 when he realized he would go bankrupt, and Donna Balsan, his wife, who, for all her grief, did her utmost to save Ognon Pictures, her husband's company, after his death. But mind you, this is no straight biopic. For instance, the names have been changed; Grégoire Canvel (the screen equivalent of Balsan) has three kids instead of two; the way he kills himself is different; Bela Tarr, the Hungarian director Balsan had trouble with at the time of his death, has become Stig Janson, a Swedish helmer; and so on… Even Mia Hansen-Løve herself, who is part of the story, is represented indirectly, by Arthur,a young film maker that Grégoire wants to produce but finally can't ( a reference to "Tout est pardonné", Hansen-Løve's former film, whose production was taken over by Pelléas Films after Balsan's suicide). Oddly enough, Arthur happens to be interpreted by Igor Hansen-Løve, Mia's own brother. Sure, "Le père de mes enfants" is not the exact telling of the life of one of the most original producers of French cinema, but it is very close to reality and perhaps even closer than if it was a mere biopic, since what Mia Hansen-Løve tries to do is to capture the essence of a man's soul, not only to piece facts together.To achieve this end, the writer-director divides her story into two distinct parts. The first one presents Grégoire in his professional as well as in his family life, both tending to intermingle to the despair of Sylvia, Grégoire's wife. The long opening sequence during which Grégoire uses his mobile phone whatever the place he is in is explicit in this respect. At his country house on the weekend, Grégoire is the loving father of three delightful daughters and Sylvia's faithful companion. At his Paris office he is an industrious man, the enthusiastic, tireless, staunch defender of auteur film-making, whether French or foreign. But money troubles become more and more insistent, preventing him from indulging his passion serenely. The documentary aspect is excellent: the account of the way the small production company works day after day is very realistic without being boring. But interesting as this part is, it would not be enough to make "Le père de mes enfants" something else but a good film. What makes it really outstanding is the second part in which Mia Hansen-Løve explores the consequences of Grégoire's suicide on his nearest and dearest and on his collaborators. And she does it with a truly magic touch. She first very intelligently disposes of the set pieces of the discovery of the corpse and of the funeral. Instead, she directly cuts to the deep sorrow experienced by Grégoire's wife and daughters, the feeling of unacceptable loss, of resentment against the deceased who abandoned them. Then she shows how the characters evolve, slowly coming to terms with the situation, gradually realizing that Grégoire's life has been so rich, has brought them so much that he is now part of them, that what he accomplished in the artistic domain before committing suicide has not disappeared. They know now that his spirit will go on living, through his films, through the persons they have become thanks to him…A sad story but which does not make you sad in the end, for Mia Hansen-Løve doesn't take morbid delight in the evocation of death and the damages it causes. On the contrary, it is life she pays a tribute to when she films wonderful scenes of family life with or without Grégoire, often in a sunny atmosphere. In the end, we get the comforting feeling that arrogant Death finally admits defeat.The actors, although practically unknown, are very convincing. Louis-Do de Lencqueseing is fascinatingly close to his model and to his natural charm. His own teenage daughter Alice de Lencquesaing, who plays Grégoire's oldest daughter, is simply wonderful, displaying a wealth of unaffected beauty and hypersensitivity. Alice Gautier and Manelle Driss, who play her little sisters, are full of life, and Chiara Caselli, in the difficult role of Gregoire's wife, rings true throughout.Florent Dudognon, who reviewed "Tout est pardonné", Hansen-Løve's first feature on Evene on 30-7-2007, used the following terms to qualify the film: "touching, sensitive, sweet, unmarred by pop psychology crap, played with restraint". I guess he will not change a word if he comments on "Le père de mes enfants", a moving picture you must not miss on any account.