L'Heure d'été (Summer Hours)

In the film , two brothers and a sister witness the disappearance of their childhood memories when they must relinquish the family belongings to ensure their deceased mother's succession.   Summer Hours (aka L'Heure d'été) a quiet ,carefully observed film by writer-director Oliver Assayas , a former Cahiers du Cinema critic.  In a small town, Helene is a family matriarch who has devoted her life to preserving the legacy of her artist uncle.  However, while her eldest son , Frederic , wants to preserve her home after her passing, she harbors no such illusions as she prepares her legacy.  When she dies, the family gets together again at her home , which is taken care of by Eloise (Isabelle Sadoyan).   Jeremie ,the youngest son , lives with his wife and children in China and is about to start a new job in Beijing.   He needs the money from the sale of the family heritages to pay for the move.  Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) , a successful designer  who lives in the United States , is about to get married. She does not see herself returning to France often in the future and so suggests they sell the house.  Frederic ,who wants to keep everything , is disappointed to hear of his brother and sister's responses.  But Jeremie and Adrienne see themselves as elite members of the global community with no specific ties to any place or culture. Life will go on , with an acknowledgement of loss that will always seem insufficient.   Assayas has made a drama that is filled with bittersweet observations about family , memory , money , globalization and transitoriness.