Things to Come (2016 film)

Things to Come (French: L'Avenir) 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

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[lower-alpha 1]
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

References

1. "Things to Come (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
2. "Isabelle Huppert tourne "L'Avenir" de Mia Hansen-Løve". Challenges. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015.
3. "Things to Come (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
4. Lemercier, Fabien (6 May 2015). "Things to Come by Mia Hansen-Love for Les Films du Losange". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
5. Goodfellow, Melanie (6 May 2015). "Cannes: Les Films du Losange acquires Mia Hansen-Løve's 'Things to Come'". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
6. "Things to Come" (in French). Les Films du Losange. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016.
7. "Alles was kommt" (in German). Weltkino Filmverleih. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
8. "Berlinale Competition 2016: Another nine films selected" (Press release). Berlin International Film Festival. 11 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
9. Barraclough, Leo (11 January 2016). "Berlin Film Festival Adds Nine Films to Competition Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
10. "Prizes & Honours 2016". Berlin International Film Festival. 20 February 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
11. "Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far)". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 April 2023.
12. Keslassy, Elsa (13 February 2016). "Berlin: Isabelle Huppert, Mia Hansen-Love Chat About 'Things To Come'". Variety. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
13. O'Connor, Rory (17 February 2016). "Mia Hansen-Løve on the Precision of Isabelle Huppert and the Simplicity of 'Things to Come'". The Film Stage. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
14. "Things to Come". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
15. "Things to Come Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
16. Anderson, Erik (16 December 2016). "Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations: The Handmaiden Lands Top Mentions, Trevante Rhodes Double Nominated". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
17. "Berlinale 2016: Competition Complete" (Press release). Berlin International Film Festival. 20 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
18. Shanley, Patrick (11 December 2016). "'La La Land' Named Best Picture by Boston Society of Film Critics". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
19. Trifone, Lisa M. (28 October 2016). "Chicago International Film Festival Announces Audience Award Winners, Festival Highlights". Shoot. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
20. Kilday, Gregg (12 January 2017). "'Moonlight' Leads Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics' Dorian Award Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
21. Clarke, Donald (17 December 2016). "Dublin Film Critics Circle names I, Daniel Blake best of 2016". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
22. Greene, Steve (19 December 2016). "2016 IndieWire Critics Poll: Full List of Results". IndieWire. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
23. Tartaglione, Nancy (20 December 2016). "'Moonlight', 'Love & Friendship' Lead London Critics' Circle Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
24. "42nd Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
25. "National Society of Film Critics Begin Announcing Winners". Variety. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
26. "2016 Awards". New York Film Critics Circle. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.

External links

• Things to Come at IMDb 
• Things to Come at AllMovie
• Things to Come at AlloCiné (in French)