Music Box Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “When Fall Is Coming,” a mystery-filled thriller directed by French auteur François Ozon.
Represented internationally by Playtime, “When Fall Is Coming” premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival, where it won best screenplay and supporting actor for Pierre Lottin.
The movie had its U.S. premiere at the Palm Springs Festival and will next screen at Rendez-Vous With French Cinema on March 7. Music Box Films will release “When Fall Is Coming” in New York at the Film Forum on April 4 and is planning a national expansion. Home entertainment release plans will be announced this summer.
“When Fall Is Coming” revolves around the tumultuous life of Michelle (Hélène Vincent), who lived in Paris and has retired to a quiet existence in Burgundy. “The voracious hostility of her adult daughter Valérie (Sagnier) remains Michelle’s great puzzlement: how can a child for whom she sacrificed so much treat her with such contempt and suspicion? When Valérie drops off her son for a week with his grandmother, Michelle sees an opportunity to repair the relationship, but a culinary accident soon undercuts whatever trust remains,” according to press materials.
“We are thrilled to continue our longstanding and successful relationship with François Ozon by bringing his newest film to the U.S.,” said Music Box Films in a statement. “It’s refreshing to see a film centered around a veteran actress like Hélène Vincent gifted with such a complex and multifaceted character. Longtime fans of Ozon will enjoy peeling back the layers of dark humor and thriller elements of this fascinating drama.”
Ozon, one of France’s most revered and prolific filmmakers, pointed out this film marks the “seventh film (he) will be doing with Music Box Films.”
“They are long term partners for me. They are true cinephiles and terrific at their job,” Ozon said. Some of Ozon’s best-reviewed films have been distributed by Music Box, notably the 2023’s screwball comedy “The Crime Is Mine,” the 2020 queer romantic drama “Summer of ’85,” 2019’s “By the Grace of God,” and the 2010 comedy “Potiche.”
Playtime’s Nicolas Brigaud-Robert noted that “When Fall Is Coming” has been an international success, selling in over 40 countries. “I’m confident it will find the same success in the U.S.,” said Brigaud-Robert, “because “It’s a drama and a thriller, featuring female leads of an age rarely seen on screen, which adds a unique and refreshing perspective to the genre.”
“When Fall Is Coming” was produced by Ozon. The sale of the film was negotiated by Brian Andreotti of Music Box Films, and Nicolas Brigaud-Robert from Playtime on behalf of the filmmakers.
