''Valley of Love'' is a 2015 French film directed by Guillaume Nicloux, starring

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

and

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (; born 16 March 1953) is a French actress. Described as "one of the best actresses in the world", she is known for her portrayals of cold and disdainful characters devoid of morality. She is the recipient of sev ...

. It tells the story of two French people who used to be a couple and had a son 25 years ago. They reunite after the son's death, having received a letter asking them to visit five places in

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

, which will make the son reappear. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the

2015 Cannes Film Festival The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Joel and Ethan Coen were the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separate ...

. It film won the

César Award for Best Cinematography The following are the winners of the César Award for Best Cinematography ( French: ''César de la meilleure photographie''). Winners and nominees 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s See also *Lumières Award for Best Cinematography ...

at the

41st César Awards The 41st César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, was held on 26 February 2016, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris to honour the best French films of 2015. The ceremony was presided by Claude Lelou ...

Plot

Gérard and Isabelle, a French couple separated for decades, meet up at a desert motel in California. Each has received a letter from their son Michaël, who killed himself in San Francisco six months earlier, asking them to visit certain spots in Death Valley on certain days, when he will reappear to them. While Isabelle has stayed petite and attractive, she is shocked to see that Gérard is in poor health and enormous. The two squabble and sentimentalise, sometimes wondering if an old flame could be reignited and sometimes sick of the other's company. Grumbling at the apparent pointlessness of the mission, and wilting under the intense heat, they nevertheless follow Michaël's instructions. One night back at the motel, Isabelle panics and Gérard rushes to her room. She is convinced there was an intruder, who could have been Michaël. She says he seized her ankles, which afterwards exhibit a mysterious inflammation. Out together in the desert, Gérard walks on alone and returns to Isabelle in panic, convinced that he met Michaël, who seized his wrists. Later, they too become inflamed. The film ends there, leaving viewers to ponder what meaning the couple will draw from their experience and whether it may bring them closer again.

Cast

as Isabelle *

as Gérard

Production

The film was produced through Les Films du Worso and LGM Cinéma, with co-production support from DD Productions, France 3 Cinéma and Belgium's Scope Pictures. It was pre-bought by Canal+ and received backing from the

CNC Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a ...

, Soficinéma, Cinémage, Cofinova and Palatine Etoile Soficas. Filming in California began on 8 September 2014.

Release

The film was released in France on 17 June 2015.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valley of Love 2015 films Death Valley Films set in Inyo County, California Films directed by Guillaume Nicloux Films set in California Films shot in California French drama films 2010s French-language films Les Films du Worso films 2010s French films Le Pacte films