Ce Qui Nous Lie
17/02/18 Filed in: Amazon Prime
After a bit of a break I'm back to watching French films while exercising on my static bike. Amazon has added quite a few French films since I last looked, and Ce qui nous lie has been a superb reintroduction. The English title is Back to Burgundy, which while describing the basic plot, doesn't capture the essence of the story. The translation of the French title is What binds us, which more accurately describes what is a story of family bonding as three siblings come together to resolve financial difficulties following the death of their father. It is beautifully filmed in wide screen with sublime scenery.
The story takes place almost entirely within the environs of a vineyard, where we are first treated to a view from the house as the seasons change, our narrator being the young Jean. But Jean left the family to travel the world, largely because of his uneasy relationship with his father, something that we visit as flashbacks during the story. Jean has now returned from his vineyard in Australia, the reason being to see his dying father. His sister, Juliette, is overjoyed, but his younger brother Jérémie is not so happy, having feelings of animosity towards Jean, particularly as he wasn't there when their mother died. Things are not helped when the three find that the 500,000€ inheritance tax on the estate is far beyond their ability to pay, forcing them to consider ways to raise money.
One option is to sell up completely, which would suit Jean who has debts in Australia, but it isn't acceptable to the other two. The terms of their father's will requires that all three of them agree on any action. Juliette has become the de facto vineyard manager, and there is some tension between her and Jean when he tries to advise her on managing the wine production. Jérémie, on the other hand, is married, and his father-in-law has designs on acquiring the premier vines, as does another local grower. But they're not for sale. Jérémie and his wife and child live on the father-in-law's estate and that also creates a bit of tension, as mum-in-law regularly wakes them early on Sunday mornings for breakfast.
Meanwhile, Jean's life is far from straightforward. He has a wife and child back in Australia, and relations are strained. As the story unfolds we see him torn between wanting to return to Australia, or remaining in France. He has rediscovered his love for his siblings, and the vineyard, and wants to help them save the business that was built up by his father.
While this family drama unfolds we are given quite an insight into the working of a vineyard; the harvest, the treading of the grapes, the critical timing of the winemaking process. We see the seasonal workers in the fields and enjoy with them the wild party after the harvest is gathered. It is a hard but fulfilling rural life.
The siblings resist selling off any of the assets and continue to work the land. But for Jean, the time has come to decide where he belongs; with which family he wants to spend the remainder of his life. Thanks to Juliette, Jean's wife and child pay a surprise visit, and she explains to him that things will only be right between them when he regards her and his child as his family. She returns to Australia and Jean is left to contemplate his future.
A gentle story that will appeal to anybody who loves France.
Meanwhile, Jean's life is far from straightforward. He has a wife and child back in Australia, and relations are strained. As the story unfolds we see him torn between wanting to return to Australia, or remaining in France. He has rediscovered his love for his siblings, and the vineyard, and wants to help them save the business that was built up by his father.
While this family drama unfolds we are given quite an insight into the working of a vineyard; the harvest, the treading of the grapes, the critical timing of the winemaking process. We see the seasonal workers in the fields and enjoy with them the wild party after the harvest is gathered. It is a hard but fulfilling rural life.
The siblings resist selling off any of the assets and continue to work the land. But for Jean, the time has come to decide where he belongs; with which family he wants to spend the remainder of his life. Thanks to Juliette, Jean's wife and child pay a surprise visit, and she explains to him that things will only be right between them when he regards her and his child as his family. She returns to Australia and Jean is left to contemplate his future.
A gentle story that will appeal to anybody who loves France.