All That's Coming

Nathalie (Isabelle Huppert) actually leads a perfect life. She loves her job as a philosophy teacher, she has her own successful textbook series, she is happily married and has two almost grown-up children. But then this idyll completely collapses from one day to the next: Her husband Heinz (Andre Marcon) leaves her for another, her textbook series is deemed totally outdated, and her mother has to be placed in a nursing home. True, these drastic changes throw Nathalie completely off balance. But she is determined not to let them get her down, and to face whatever else comes her way with aplomb.

Everything That Comes is a very quiet drama that lives primarily on its lead actress, Isabelle Huppert. To be honest, Huppert plays here exactly how she (almost) always plays. But in this case, it's very much in keeping with the character she's embodying, and as a result, comes across as convincing and very strong. The story also has some very good and interesting aspects at its core, which as a viewer you can think about for a long time after the movie is over. How would I behave if all that I consider safe and good in my life suddenly collapses or is questioned? How difficult is it, especially when you are no longer part of the younger generation, to set out on completely new paths in life and break with old habits? And how is it possible not to let oneself be overrun by anger, grief or injured vanity and to get through this difficult phase with dignity - perhaps also to emerge from this challenge as a winner in the end.

These are exciting questions to which the film does not provide clear answers. But it does show very well, using Nathalie as an example, how even small things in everyday life suddenly change in such situations, and how much strength one has to exert in order not to let the outside world notice that one has been thrown off track. Director Mia Hansen Love was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director at this year's Berlinale for her sensitive, very restrained production of this material. No wonder really, because films like this are just made for festivals. But a broad audience will probably be hard to find for this feuilleton darling.

Because even if one must objectively attest to the film's craftsmanship and strong performances by the actors, it must also be said that the realization is very uneventfully designed. The film is dominated by silence and superficially inconsequential snapshots. Sure, all of this makes for a coherent overall picture, provided you like this somewhat unwieldy style of storytelling. Then you can let yourself drift here unagitated and will also appreciate all the positive aspects of the film. But if you generally have a problem with movies that dispense with all the usual cinematic means in order to seem as close to reality as possible, then Everything That Comes will be a rather tough, not to say boring affair for you. And at the latest when Nathalie calls for Pandora the cat for what feels like the 500th time, you'll find it hard to keep yourself together and not leave the cinema in a hurry. Therefore: For lovers of sophisticated, very quiet arthouse dramas and such viewers who like stories about strong women, definitely worth seeing. For all others, however, there are far more pleasant sleeping pills!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp