Au Autumn Tale review

The last of Eric Rohmer's tales of the four seasons sees the Gallic director musing again about the friendships, romances and intricacies of everyday life.

Magali (Béatrice Romand) is an attractive middle-aged widow, too preoccupied with her vineyard to find a new lover. Enter her best friend, Isabelle (Marie Rivière), who secretly plans to select a man for Magali through the lonely hearts column; and Rosine (Alexia Portal), Magali's son's girlfriend; she boldly presents her own former lover - too old for her, but ripe for Magali - as a match.

And that's it. As usual with Rohmer, little appears to happen, other than people sitting around and chatting, often tiresomely so. But all the while, his wry perspective on the characters grows and, as the matchmaking ruses reach their climax, An Autumn Tale even becomes exciting. The result is a deceptively casual, beautifully acted French movie that leave you distracted and charmed.