A half English, half French screenwriter visits her parents on the Riviera after her father's heart surgery. Once there, she begins to connect with him in a way she never did before, as each member of the family tries to cope with his imminent death.
Acting
Dirk Bogarde's final film role—fragile, maddening, utterly human.
Direction
Tavernier lets silences breathe like another character.
Cinematography
Riviera beauty that almost mocks the family's grief.
Director
Bertrand Tavernier
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dirk Bogarde came out of retirement specifically for Tavernier, having admired his work for decades. He died in 1999, making this his cinematic farewell.
Tavernier originally wanted to call it 'Daddy Nostalgia' in English to capture the untranslatable French 'nostalgie de la boue'—longing for what degrades us.
FR
