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
The Librarians
Dispatches from the front line of America's culture wars (and ours too): librarians speak out about the war against ideas, history, freedom of expression and sexual identity, a campaign in which an open mind is the ultimate enemy.
You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine
A remarkable line up of artists come together to share their love for the great American singer-songwriter John Prine, including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Kurt Vile and Kasey Musgraves.
Cover-Up
Oscar-winner Laura Poitras and Emmy-winner Mark Obenhaus turn their lens on legendary journalist Seymour Hersh in a riveting film that unpacks how one reporter exposed the truths behind My Lai and Abu Ghraib — and what it takes to hold power to account.
Image: © The New York Times
The Baltimorons
An early Xmas present and the rom-com of the year: a dental emergency on Christmas Eve brings together flailing comedian Chris and cynical divorcee Didi for a series of low-key urban misadventures.