Summer Hours, directed by Olivier Assayas, gracefully invites the viewer - like a guest - into the life of a family of older siblings who face - and deftly weigh - questions about values, connections, love, and continuity. In the home of their youth, the familiar art objects possibly mirror and record the ups and downs of the family. There are overall themes of the delicacy of life, longevity, effect, and simultaneity - with an examination of views regarding nostalgia, and a glimpse of interwoven beginnings and endings.
Of the same gentle, contemplative quality: My Afternoons with Margueritte, The Hedgehog, Moonrise Kingdom.