My Old Lady, 2014.
Written and Directed by Israel Horovitz.
Starring Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dominique Pinon and Stéphane Freiss.
SYNOPSIS:
An American inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with an unexpected resident.
Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline) arrives in Paris riding the fumes of his last few dollars. Landing in the French capital looking to sell on a spacious apartment he has inherited, Mathias discovers Mathilde (Maggie Smith) a resident in situ and her daughter Chloe (Kristin Scott Thomas). Initial efforts to sell uncover that the apartment is in in fact a viager, a French method of real estate exchange whereby you only own a property after the current owner’s death. Mathias is therefore forced to pay Mathilde a set figure every month or lose all claims to his inheritance. These darkly comic perimeters lay the groundwork for an assured directorial debut. A subtlety drawn character piece adapted from the stage play My Old Lady, Israel Horowitz explores the intricacies of human relationships through a poignant character study of lives lived and choices made.
Your debut film director has written seventy odd plays, been translated into thirty languages and received more writing awards than a quality bookshelf can hold. He is internationally renowned, has legitimately contributed to a musical counter culture through his son Adam Horowitz, while managing to become the most produced playwright in French history. So at seventy five it seems the only question left to ask is this. What took you so long?
It turns out this conundrum is answered succinctly in a hundred and six minutes of finely crafted melodrama. By turns comedic, melancholy and tragic, My Old Lady adapted and directed by Israel Horowitz, is shaped with care and presented with passion by a stellar cast of ensemble players.
My Old Lady is never less than engaging. Essentially an acting master class in restraint from the three leads, this gentle film does much with minimal locations and fish out of water situations. Kevin Kline as Mathais Gold is by turns a buffoon, tyrant and confidant. Embodying disillusionment and lacking direction, Kline wears the mantle of black sheep for absent family members whilst embracing the role of urban underachiever.
Meanwhile Maggie Smith as Mathilde conducts an armchair theatre from her perpetual position by the fire, unknown occupant and linchpin to this whole endeavour. Playing ninety two at seventy nine is clearly no stretch for the actress here, by turns beguiling, authoritarian and maternal. There is more at work beneath the surface of these carefully constructed dialogue scenes than meets the eye. As each moment passes another layer of the onion is metaphorically peeled away revealing an emotional rawness beneath. With the appearance of Kristin Scott Thomas, who is in my opinion hugely under rated, we are given a welcome addition to an already formidable dynamic.
In the private moments between Mathias and Chloe both actors shine. As is the case with such films their friction adds both comic potential and moments of pathos, drawing the audience in rather than switching them off. However the principal players are helped in no small measure by a supreme supporting cast, many of them natives to France and seasoned professionals. These include Dominque Pinon as Auguste Lefebvre real estate broker for the apartment, alongside Stephane Freiss’s property developer Francois Roy.
Both men lend an authenticity to a cast otherwise devoid of local blood. As Auguste the broker Pinon provides comic relief and gravitas to a role which might have been a mere one note performance in lesser hands. Similarly Stephane Freiss as Francois Roy manages to humanise an essentially villainous role, by making him slightly pompous. One other which deserves special mention is the role of Doctor Florence Horowitz played by Noemie Lvovsky. Her position as local physician to the family gives Kline yet another formidable actor to lock horns with, in a film already brimming over with dramatic potential and farcical tangents. However there is one niggle common to films of this type which could have hampered an otherwise flawless production, namely its genesis.
It is something noticeable in David Mamet’s adaptation of Glengarry Glenross as well as Patrick Marber’s translation of Closer to the screen. These are adapted from a stage version where there are constraints, stage directions, limited locations and things are static by design. That is why at its worst a stage adaptation can feel stilted, overly wordy, stifling and plain boring. Not that My Old Lady or any of my other examples fall into this category since I consider them done well, but rather that the dangers exist. What you do have here is a vague sense of stasis within the scenes. It does not detract from the drama, but none the less feels rigid in parts and lacks a tangible emotional connection. As I said this takes none of its power away or dilutes what Kline, Smith or Scott-Thomas brings to the table.
In short Israel Horowitz has produced a feature film of subtlety. Demonstrating a lightness of touch and keen eye for the dramatic, his debut is confident, controlled and jam packed to the gunnels with quality performances. All three principals excel in a dialogue driven character drama, which could well be considered a tour-de-force for this exceptional trio.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Martin Carr – Follow me on Twitter
Originally published November 19, 2014. Updated November 29, 2022.
