I saw this at the 2007 Palm Springs International Film Festival. It's a small film but has a great cast. This is set in Cannes and based on a short story and the film seems a little stretched out to the point of being thin. Prollific author and Cannes resident George Simeon wrote the short and his daughter-in-law actress Mylène Demongeot who was married to Simeon's son, director Marc Simeon, is cast in the film in the role of Katia. Nathalie Baye is Maguy and delivers a terrific performance as an aging wealthy socialite whose money and looks are running out. She owns a yacht but hates being on the water so it's docked near her home and serves as the home of her Croatian lover Mirko (Roschdy Zem) and his childhood pal Stephan (Radivoje Bukvic). Rounding out this menagerie of humanity are two gay lovers who are hanger-ons in Maguy's house that she also shares with her longtime friend Katia. Maguy has a daughter Helène who has fallen in love with Stephan and plan to marry and start a book publishing business in Paris. It's a good story but things unravel just too rapidly in this story to be believable. There are nice touches of humor to offset the brooding drama. It's worth a look and I would give it a 7.0 out of 10.
Review of La Californie
