Let the Sunshine In (film)

Let the Sunshine In (French: Un beau soleil intérieur), or Bright Sunshine In, is a 2017 French romantic drama film directed by Claire Denis.[2][3][4] The film is an adaptation of Roland Barthes's 1977 text A Lover's Discourse: Fragments (French: Fragments d’un discours amoureux).[5] Novelist Christine Angot[5][6] and frequent Denis collaborator Jean-Pol Fargeau[7] have both been reported as Denis's co-writers on the project. It opened the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.[8][9] At Cannes, it won the SACD Award.[10]

Let the Sunshine In
Film poster
FrenchUn beau soleil intérieur
Directed byClaire Denis
Written by
Based onA Lover's Discourse: Fragments
by Roland Barthes
Produced byOlivier Delbosc
Starring
CinematographyAgnès Godard
Edited byGuy Lecorne
Music byStuart A. Staples
Distributed byCuriosa Films
Release dates
  • 18 May 2017 (2017-05-18) (Cannes)
  • 27 September 2017 (2017-09-27) (France)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Box office$4.2 million[1]

Plot

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Isabelle, a middle-aged divorced artist, has an unsatisfying relationship with a married banker, Vincent, who enjoys the sex with her but is committed emotionally to his wife. Looking for love, she begins a series of other relationships.

She meets and feels an instant connection with an actor who, after she sleeps with him, implies he is not separated from his wife despite what he had said earlier. She begins sleeping with her ex-husband but picks a fight, ending their relationship. Isabelle is wooed eventually by Marc, influential in the art world, who says he wants things to progress slowly and offers a serious relationship. However, Isabelle sees a psychic, who tells her that, although the relationship will not last, she should keep looking for the right man.

Cast

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Production

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Director Claire Denis and Christine Angot co-wrote the screenplay of the film.[11] Juliette Binoche played the lead role in the film.[12] The film began shooting in January 2017 in Creuse, France.[13] Shooting wrapped on 21 February 2017.[7] The film was shot by Agnès Godard.[14] Etta James' version of the song "At Last" was used in the film.[15]

Release

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The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2017.[16][17] It was released in France on 27 September 2017.[18]

Critical reception

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On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 140 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Let the Sunshine In pairs a powerful performance from Juliette Binoche with a layered drama that presents director Claire Denis at her most assured."[19] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]

Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com gave the film 4 stars out of 4, saying, "the film does confront the fact that particularly for women, pursuing desire in middle age is a fraught path."[21] Greg Cwik of Slant Magazine called it "the most empathetic, heartfelt film of [Claire Denis'] illustrious career."[22]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Cannes Film Festival 26 May 2017 SACD Award Let the Sunshine In Won [23]
European Film Awards 9 December 2017 Best Actress Juliette Binoche Nominated [24]
Lumières Award 5 February 2018 Best Actress Juliette Binoche Nominated [25]
César Award 2 March 2018 Best Actress Juliette Binoche Nominated [26]

References

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  1. ^ "Let the Sunshine In (2017)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  2. ^ Collins, K. Austin (1 May 2017). "Review: Juliette Binoche Is Luminous in Sly Romance Let the Sunshine In". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  3. ^ Cuyer, Clement (3 January 2017). "Binoche et Depardieu vont porter des Lunettes noires pour Claire Denis". AlloCiné. Webedia. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. ^ Warner, Sam (26 April 2017). "First image: Juliette Binoche in Claire Denis' 'Let The Sunshine In'". Screen Daily. Screen International. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  5. ^ a b Duponchel, Marilou (7 April 2017). "Quels films seront sélectionnés à Cannes? Nos pronostics". Les Inrockuptibles. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. ^ Moine, Eddy (20 March 2017). "Claire Denis et ses "Fragments"". Challenges (in French). Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  7. ^ a b Lemercier, Fabian (22 February 2017). "Filming has wrapped on Let the Sunshine In by Claire Denis". Cineuropa. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Fortnight 2017: The 49th Directors' Fortnight Selection". Directors' Fortnight. French Directors Guild. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  9. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (19 April 2016). "Cannes: Juliette Binoche-Gerard Depardieu Drama to Kick Off Directors Fortnight". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  10. ^ Hopewell, John (26 May 2017). "Cannes: Chloe Zhao's 'The Rider' Tops Cannes' Directors' Fortnight". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  11. ^ Romney, Jonathan (22 April 2018). "Claire Denis: 'I couldn't care less about the Weinstein affair'". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  12. ^ Clarke, Donald (14 April 2018). "Claire Denis: 'We are normal people. Even though we are French'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  13. ^ Demars, Annaick (16 December 2016). "Juliette Binoche et Gérard Depardieu en tournage en Creuse". France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine. France Télévisions. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  14. ^ Garcia, Lawrence (6 October 2017). "Discussing "Let the Sunshine In" with Claire Denis". Mubi. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  15. ^ Kim, Kristen Yoonsoo (17 April 2018). "Let the Sunshine In Director Claire Denis Doesn't Think Dating Is Exhausting". GQ. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  16. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (20 April 2017). "Cannes: Juliette Binoche-Gerard Depardieu Drama to Kick Off Directors' Fortnight". Variety. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  17. ^ Formica, Vincent (18 May 2017). "Cannes 2017 : Jour 2 : Julianne Moore chez Todd Haynes, Amalric ressuscite Barbara, une histoire de fantômes siciliens..." AlloCiné. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  18. ^ Formica, Vincent (21 August 2017). "Bande-annonce Un beau soleil intérieur : Juliette Binoche en quête d'amour chez Claire Denis". AlloCiné. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Let the Sunshine In (Un beau soleil intérieur) (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Let the Sunshine In Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  21. ^ Kenny, Glenn (27 April 2018). "Let the Sunshine In". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  22. ^ Cwik, Greg (4 October 2017). "Let the Sunshine In". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  23. ^ Ford, Rebecca; Richford, Rhonda (26 May 2017). "Cannes: 'The Rider' Tops Directors' Fortnight Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  24. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (9 December 2017). "Palme d'Or Winner 'The Square' Sweeps European Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  25. ^ Richford, Rhonda (5 February 2018). "'120 BPM' Tops France's Lumiere Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  26. ^ Richford, Rhonda (31 January 2018). "'120 BPM' Leads France's Cesar Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
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