Adapting Françoise Sagan’s classic French novel, Durga Chew-Bose gives us Cécile (Lily McInerney), a young lady summering by the sea with her permissive father Raymond (Claes Bang) and his girlfriend Elsa (Naïlia Harzoune). It’s a happy trio until Anne (Chloë Sevigny) arrives; soon Raymond’s erotic interest shifts to her. The betrayal upsets Cécile more than it does Elsa, and our young protagonist hatches a plot to coax her father away from his new lover…
Bonjour Tristesse is Chew-Bose’s directorial debut, though you sure wouldn’t guess it from the grace and aplomb she displays. She captures the hazy torpor of summer beautifully, and her feel for pacing fits perfectly with the material. This is a story of a gradual awakening—of small revelations and subtle shifts—and it gets exactly the nuance it needs from its director. Sensuous, literate, and executed with the utmost delicacy, this film marks the arrival of a major talent.
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Lily McInerny, Claes Bang, Chloë Sevigny, Naïlia Harzoune, Aliocha Schneider
Canada/Germany
2024
In English and French with English subtitles
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Denis Westhoff, Suzanne Court, Fabien Westerhoff, Emily Kulasa, Jesse Weening, Omar Chalabi
Producer
Katie Bird Nolan, Lindsay Tapscott, Christina Piovesan, Noah Segal
Screenwriter
Durga Chew-Bose
Cinematography
Maximilian Pittner
Editor
Amélie Labrèche
Production Design
François Renaud-Labarthe
Original Music
Lesley Barber
Durga Chew-Bose
Durga Chew-Bose was born in Montreal. She is the author of Too Much and Not the Mood, a book of essays, and has co-produced the films Shadowboxing (2010) and Mother’s Day (2011). Bonjour Tristesse (2024) is her debut feature.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
How to Divorce During the War
Screenwriter Vytus is left reeling when on successive days his wife demands a divorce and Russia invades Ukraine. Blazevicius' masterful feature emerges as an engrossing satire about virtue signaling, nationalism, good intentions, and survival modes.
Kindergarten
In this charming Quebecois documentary, we are invited to look closely at the interactions of children between the ages of 1 and 5, a period in which they are just beginning to learn about social interactions. And yet how much they resemble ourselves!
Chronovisor
A device so sensitive it can pick up emanations from history, the Chronovisor caused a ripple in scientific circles in the latter half of the 20th century, although most dismissed it as a hoax. But why would anyone want to suppress a hoax?
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
A Sad and Beautiful World
This Lebanese love story chronicles the romance between a level-headed businesswoman and a romantic restauranteur across several decades in wartorn Beirut. It's funny, charming, melancholy and you'll feel it all.