''Late August, Early September'' () is a 1998 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Olivier Assayas Olivier Assayas (; born 25 January 1955) is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his eclectic filmography, consisting of slow-burning Period Piece Films, period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs, an ...

and starring

Mathieu Amalric Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He has won several César Awards and the Lumière Awards. He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'', in which he pla ...

Plot

Adrien ( François Cluzet), a tough-loving writer who has had only marginal commercial success as a bestselling author, discovers that he is dying and tells his friend Gabriel (

), with whom he has had a tumultuous relationship. Gabriel tries to attend to his friend while making sense of his complicated romantic life, torn between his former girlfriend, dependable Jenny (

Jeanne Balibar Jeanne Balibar (born 13 April 1968) is a French actress and singer. Life and career Balibar was born in Paris, the daughter of Marxist philosopher Étienne Balibar and physicist Françoise Balibar. She started her career as a student in th ...

), and a new lover, mercurial Anne ( Virginie Ledoyen). Unlike Adrien, conflicted Gabriel is not a risk-taker: his career path as an editor at a publishing house is steady and secure. He edits an encyclopedia. His older friend attempts to write his greatest book and begins a quiet relationship with a curious student, Véra (

Mia Hansen-Løve Mia Hansen-Løve (born 5 February 1981) is a French film director, screenwriter, and former actress. She has won several accolades for her work. Her first feature film, '' All Is Forgiven'', won the Louis Delluc Prize for Best First Film in 2007 ...

). The ensemble and Adrien's other friends find it difficult to assess their lives and careers in the wake of their dying friend's revelation, soon realizing there’s necessary friction in passion and that compassion for one another (com-passion etymologically meaning “com” as in “all” or “together” combined with “passion”) may actually be the sweetest pleasure.

Cast

as Gabriel * Virginie Ledoyen as Anne * François Cluzet as Adrien *

as Jenny * Alex Descas as Jérémie * Arsinée Khanjian as Lucie *

as Véra * Nathalie Richard as Maryelle * Éric Elmosnino as Thomas * Olivier Cruveiller as Axel * Jean-Baptiste Malartre as the publisher * André Marcon as Hattou * Elisabeth Mazev as the woman who visits the apartment *

Olivier Py Olivier Py (; born 24 July 1965 in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French stage director, actor and writer. Career In 1997, Py became director of the Centre dramatique national d'Orléans. In 2007, he became director of the Théâtre de l'Odéon i ...

as the man who visits the apartment * Jean-Baptiste Montagut as Joseph Costa

References

External links

* *
Late August, Early September
' at

Zeitgeist Films Zeitgeist Films is a New York, New York, New York-based distribution company founded in 1988 which acquires and distributes films from the U.S. and around the world. In 2017, Zeitgeist entered into a multi-year strategic alliance with film distr ...

1998 films 1998 drama films 1990s French-language films French drama films Films directed by Olivier Assayas Films with screenplays by Olivier Assayas 1990s French films Films produced by Philippe Carcassonne {{1990s-France-film-stub