2026 (France, Japan, Germany, Belgium) 196 minutes
Directed by: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Marie-Lou (Virginie Efira), the newly appointed director of an elder care facility in Paris, promotes a radical new flagship program that prioritizes respect and empathy over profit and aims to treat not just the body, but also the mind and soul, of patients with dementia and other cognitive disorders. Though she meets some resistance from staff and board, Marie-Lou finds a true kindred spirit in Mari (Tao Okamoto), a theater director from Kyoto with terminal cancer whose latest stage work moves Marie-Lou on a profound level. Bonded by artistry, kindness, and moral clarity, the women embark on a friendship that constitutes its own sort of love story, joining forces to bring dignity to the nursing home’s residents and compassion to one another. Like Marie-Lou’s humane philosophy about health care, Hamaguchi’s film demands time and consideration, rewarding the viewer with an almost transcendent faith in humanity to overcome the strictures of our economic and political systems.
2026 – Cannes Film Festival – WON – Best Actress – NOMINATED – Palme d’Or
2026 – Chicago International Film Festival – WON – Best Screenplay
2026 – Mill Valley Film Festival – WON – Best Actress
2026 – San Sebastian International Film Festival – WON – Best Director
Japan’s entry for the 2027 Academy Awards Best International Feature Film
Incline Village Cinema – December 6 – 1:00pm