Things to Come (2016 film)

Things to Come (French: L'Avenir, pronounced [lavniʁ] ^ⓘ, lit. 'The Future')) is a 2016 drama film written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve.^[4][5] It stars Isabelle Huppert as Nathalie Chazeaux, a middle-aged philosophy professor whose life undergoes a series of changes. The film explores the themes of aging, family ties, intellectual passion, and personal freedom.

Things to Come
Theatrical release poster
French	L'Avenir
Directed by	Mia Hansen-Løve
Written by	Mia Hansen-Løve
Produced by	Charles Gillibert
Starring	Isabelle Huppert André Marcon Roman Kolinka Édith Scob
Cinematography	Denis Lenoir
Edited by	Marion Monnier
Production companies	CG Cinéma Detail Film Arte France Cinéma Rhône-Alpes Cinéma
Distributed by	Les Films du Losange (France) Weltkino Filmverleih (Germany)
Release dates	13 February 2016 (2016-02-13) (Berlinale) 6 April 2016 (2016-04-06) (France) 18 August 2016 (2016-08-18) (Germany)
Running time	102 minutes[1]
Countries	France Germany
Language	French
Budget	€3.2 million[2]
Box office	$5.6 million[3]

Things to Come was released theatrically in France on 6 April 2016 by Les Films du Losange and in Germany on 18 August 2016 by Weltkino Filmverleih.^[6][7] The film received critical acclaim and was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.^[8][9] At Berlin, Hansen-Løve won the Silver Bear for Best Director.^[10] Huppert won several nominations and awards for her performance in the film, including the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, and the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actress of the Year. It is considered among the best films of the 2010s and of the 21st century.^[11]

Plot

Nathalie teaches philosophy in a Parisian high school, but for her it is not just a job, it is a way of living and thinking. With a past permeated by youthful idealism, she now aims to teach students to think for themselves, using philosophical texts that stimulate confrontation and discussion. Her life flows between her work, her husband, her two grown children, and her ex-model mother who needs constant attention. However, suddenly everything changes: her husband leaves her, her mother dies and Nathalie finds herself with unexpected and unusual freedom.

Cast

• Isabelle Huppert as Nathalie Chazeaux
• André Marcon as Heinz
• Roman Kolinka [fr] as Fabien
• Édith Scob as Yvette Lavastre
• Sarah Le Picard [fr] as Chloé
• Solal Forte [fr] as Johann
• Élise Lhomeau [fr] as Elsa
• Lionel Dray as Hugo
• Grégoire Montana-Haroche as Simon
• Lina Benzerti as Antonia
• Yves Heck as Daniel

Production

Hansen-Løve said she wrote the role of Nathalie with Isabelle Huppert in mind.^[12] She also said Nathalie was loosely based on her mother, who was a philosophy professor and separated from her husband later in life.^[13] Principal photography began on 22 June 2015 in Paris.^[2]

Reception

Critical response

Things to Come received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A union to cherish between a writer-director and star working at peak power, Things to Come offers quietly profound observations on life, love, and the irrevocable passage of time."^[14] At Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 28 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[15]

Box office

Things to Come grossed $5.6 million at the worldwide box office.^[3]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Austin Film Critics Association	28 December 2016	Best Foreign-Language Film	Things to Come	Nominated	[16]
Berlin International Film Festival	21 February 2016	Best Director	Mia Hansen-Løve	Won	[17]
		Golden Bear	Mia Hansen-Løve	Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics	11 December 2016	Best Actress	Isabelle Huppert (also for Elle)	Won	[18]
		Best Foreign Film	Things to Come	Runner-up
Chicago International Film Festival	22 October 2016	Golden Hugo	Mia Hansen-Løve	Nominated	[19]
Dorian Awards	26 January 2017	Foreign Language Film of the Year	Things to Come	Nominated	[20]
Dublin Film Critics' Circle	17 December 2016	Best Actress	Isabelle Huppert	Nominated	[21]
IndieWire Critics Poll	19 December 2016	Best Actress	Isabelle Huppert	10th Place	[22]
Jerusalem Film Festival	17 July 2016	The Wilf Family Foundation Award – Best International Film	Mia Hansen-Løve	Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle	22 January 2017	Actress of the Year	Isabelle Huppert	Won	[23]
		Foreign Language Film of the Year	Things to Come	Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association	4 December 2016	Best Actress	Isabelle Huppert (also for Elle)	Won	[24]
National Society of Film Critics	7 January 2017	Best Actress	Isabelle Huppert (also for Elle)	Won	[25]
		Best Foreign Language Film	Things to Come	3rd Place[a]
New York Film Critics Circle	1 December 2016	Best Actress	Isabelle Huppert (also for Elle)	Won	[26]
Prix Louis-Delluc	14 December 2016	Best Film	Mia Hansen-Løve	Nominated

Notes

1. Tied with Elle