Cycles (Les murs porteurs)

In this brilliantly accomplished debut feature, Gelblat weaves together the lives of three different generations of a Jewish family in Paris, each contending with family relationships at a critical time in their lives. Judith (a touching performance by Miou-Miou) is a divorced housewife and, as she enters middle-age, she feels she is losing both her mother, a Holocaust survivor who is slipping into dementia, and her son, who is flying the nest. Her brother Simon (Berling) is a successful political journalist known for incisive observation, but his mother’s increasing confusion and his daughter’s budding sexuality both escape his grasp. Through deft glimpses of lives that feel very real, the film explores how cultural heritage is transmitted, but also shifts and changes as older generations die out. A searching film of many layers, it nevertheless keeps a light touch and manages to be both complex and heart-warming.

* We are delighted to welcome director Cyril Gelblat for a Q&A following the screening on Wednesday 24 September at 5.45pm.

** Please note that there has been a change to the date advertised in the brochure (Saturday 27 September at 5.45pm) to accommodate Cyril Gelblat's visit. WELTSTADT will now be showing instead of CYCLES on that Saturday.