Let the Sunshine In (film)
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Let the Sunshine In
| image = Un beau soleil intérieur Let the bright sunshine in.png
| caption = Film poster
| native_name = {{Infobox name module|fr|Un beau soleil intérieur}}
| director = Claire Denis
| producer = Olivier Delbosc
| writer = {{Plainlist|
- Claire Denis
- Christine Angot
}}
| based_on = {{based on|A Lover's Discourse: Fragments|Roland Barthes}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Juliette Binoche
- Xavier Beauvois
- Philippe Katerine
- Josiane Balasko
- Sandrine Dumas
- Nicolas Duvauchelle
- Alex Descas
- Laurent Grevill
- Bruno Podalydès
- Paul Blain
- Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
- Gérard Depardieu
}}
| music = Stuart A. Staples
| cinematography = Agnès Godard
| editing = Guy Lecorne
| distributor = Curiosa Films
| released = {{film date|df=yes|2017|05|18|Cannes|2017|09|27|France}}
| runtime = 94 minutes
| country = France
| language = French
| budget =
| gross = $4.2 million{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=6423776|title=Let the Sunshine In (2017)|access-date=27 December 2022}}
}}
Let the Sunshine In ({{langx|fr|Un beau soleil intérieur}}), or Bright Sunshine In, is a 2017 French romantic drama film directed by Claire Denis.{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/05/review-let-the-sunshine-in|title=Review: Juliette Binoche Is Luminous in Sly Romance Let the Sunshine In|work=Vanity Fair|first=K. Austin|last=Collins|date=1 May 2017|accessdate=20 October 2018}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18659124.html|title=Binoche et Depardieu vont porter des Lunettes noires pour Claire Denis|last=Cuyer|first=Clement|date=3 January 2017|work=AlloCiné|access-date=17 April 2017|publisher=Webedia}}{{cite web |url=http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/cannes-news/first-image-juliette-binoche-in-claire-deniss-let-the-sunshine-in/5117141.article?blocktitle=LATEST-FILM-NEWS-HEADLINES&contentID=44435 |title=First image: Juliette Binoche in Claire Denis' 'Let The Sunshine In' |first=Sam |last=Warner |date=26 April 2017 |accessdate=26 April 2017 |work=Screen Daily|publisher=Screen International}} The film is an adaptation of Roland Barthes's 1977 text A Lover's Discourse: Fragments (French: Fragments d’un discours amoureux).{{Cite web|url=http://www.lesinrocks.com/2017/04/07/cinema/festival-de-cannes-j-6-nos-pronostics-11930733/|title=Quels films seront sélectionnés à Cannes? Nos pronostics|last=Duponchel|first=Marilou|date=7 April 2017|website=Les Inrockuptibles|access-date=17 April 2017}} Novelist Christine Angot{{Cite news|url=https://www.challenges.fr/cinema/claire-denis-et-ses-fragments_554699|title=Claire Denis et ses "Fragments"|work=Challenges|access-date=17 April 2017|language=fr|last=Moine|first=Eddy|date=20 March 2017}} and frequent Denis collaborator Jean-Pol Fargeau have both been reported as Denis's co-writers on the project. It opened the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://www.quinzaine-realisateurs.com/en/fortnight-2017/ |title=Fortnight 2017: The 49th Directors' Fortnight Selection |accessdate=20 April 2017 |work=Directors' Fortnight |publisher=French Directors Guild |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419004103/http://www.quinzaine-realisateurs.com/en/fortnight-2017/ |archive-date=19 April 2017 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/directors-fortnight-lineup-juliette-binoche-gerard-depardieu-1202390797/ |title=Cannes: Juliette Binoche-Gerard Depardieu Drama to Kick Off Directors Fortnight |first=Elsa |last=Keslassy |date=19 April 2016 |accessdate=20 April 2017 |work=Variety |publisher=Penske Business Media}} At Cannes, it won the SACD Award.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/chloe-zhao-the-rider-cannes-directors-fortnight-1202445981/ |title=Cannes: Chloe Zhao's 'The Rider' Tops Cannes' Directors' Fortnight |first=John |last=Hopewell |date=26 May 2017 |accessdate=26 May 2017 |work=Variety |publisher=Penske Business Media}}
Plot
Isabelle, a middle-aged divorced artist, has an unsatisfying relationship with a married banker, Vincent, who enjoys the sex with her but is committed emotionally to his wife. Looking for love, she begins a series of other relationships.
She meets and feels an instant connection with an actor who, after she sleeps with him, implies he is not separated from his wife despite what he had said earlier. She begins sleeping with her ex-husband but picks a fight, ending their relationship. Isabelle is wooed eventually by Marc, influential in the art world, who says he wants things to progress slowly and offers a serious relationship. However, Isabelle sees a psychic, who tells her that, although the relationship will not last, she should keep looking for the right man.
Cast
{{Cast listing|
- Juliette Binoche as Isabelle
- Xavier Beauvois as Vincent
- Philippe Katerine as Mathieu
- Josiane Balasko as Maxime
- Sandrine Dumas as Ariane
- Nicolas Duvauchelle as The actor
- Alex Descas as Marc
- Laurent Grévill as François
- Bruno Podalydès as Fabrice
- Paul Blain as Sylvain
- Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as The woman in the car
- Gérard Depardieu as Denis
}}
Production
Director Claire Denis and Christine Angot co-wrote the screenplay of the film.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/apr/22/claire-denis-let-sunshine-in-binoche-weinstein-bourgeois-metoo|title=Claire Denis: 'I couldn't care less about the Weinstein affair'|work=The Guardian|first=Jonathan|last=Romney|date=22 April 2018|accessdate=16 February 2020}} Juliette Binoche played the lead role in the film.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/claire-denis-we-are-normal-people-even-though-we-are-french-1.3457322|title=Claire Denis: 'We are normal people. Even though we are French'|newspaper=The Irish Times|first=Donald|last=Clarke|date=14 April 2018|accessdate=16 February 2020}} The film began shooting in January 2017 in Creuse, France.{{cite web|url=http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/creuse/gueret/juliette-binoche-gerard-depardieu-tournage-creuse-1156805.html|title=Juliette Binoche et Gérard Depardieu en tournage en Creuse|publisher=France Télévisions|work=France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine|date=16 December 2016|accessdate=17 April 2018|last=Demars|first=Annaick}} Shooting wrapped on 21 February 2017.{{cite news|title=Filming has wrapped on Let the Sunshine In by Claire Denis|url=http://www.cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=323866|accessdate=17 April 2017|work=Cineuropa|date=22 February 2017|last=Lemercier|first=Fabian}} The film was shot by Agnès Godard.{{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/discussing-let-the-sunshine-in-with-claire-denis|title=Discussing "Let the Sunshine In" with Claire Denis|work=Mubi|first=Lawrence|last=Garcia|date=6 October 2017|accessdate=16 February 2020}} Etta James' version of the song "At Last" was used in the film.{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/claire-denis-let-the-sunshine-interview|title=Let the Sunshine In Director Claire Denis Doesn't Think Dating Is Exhausting|work=GQ|first=Kristen Yoonsoo|last=Kim|date=17 April 2018|accessdate=16 February 2020}}
Release
The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2017.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/festivals/directors-fortnight-lineup-juliette-binoche-gerard-depardieu-1202390797/|title=Cannes: Juliette Binoche-Gerard Depardieu Drama to Kick Off Directors' Fortnight|work=Variety|first=Elsa|last=Keslassy|date=20 April 2017|accessdate=13 February 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18664059.html|title=Cannes 2017 : Jour 2 : Julianne Moore chez Todd Haynes, Amalric ressuscite Barbara, une histoire de fantômes siciliens...|work=AlloCiné|first=Vincent|last=Formica|date=18 May 2017|accessdate=13 February 2020}} It was released in France on 27 September 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18666531.html|title=Bande-annonce Un beau soleil intérieur : Juliette Binoche en quête d'amour chez Claire Denis|work=AlloCiné|first=Vincent|last=Formica|date=21 August 2017|accessdate=13 February 2020}}
Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 140 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Let the Sunshine In pairs a powerful performance from Juliette Binoche with a layered drama that presents director Claire Denis at her most assured."{{cite web|title=Let the Sunshine In (Un beau soleil intérieur) (2017)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/let_the_sunshine_in|work=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango Media|accessdate=20 October 2018}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/let-the-sunshine-in |title=Let the Sunshine In Reviews |work=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=13 July 2018}}
Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com gave the film 4 stars out of 4, saying, "the film does confront the fact that particularly for women, pursuing desire in middle age is a fraught path."{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/let-the-sunshine-in-2018|title=Let the Sunshine In|work=RogerEbert.com|first=Glenn|last=Kenny|date=27 April 2018|accessdate=20 October 2018}} Greg Cwik of Slant Magazine called it "the most empathetic, heartfelt film of [Claire Denis'] illustrious career."{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/let-the-sunshine-in|title=Let the Sunshine In|work=Slant Magazine|first=Greg|last=Cwik|date=4 October 2017|accessdate=20 October 2018}}
Accolades
References
{{Reflist}}