BACK TO BURGUNDY/ CE QUI NOUS LIE

France, 2016, 113 minutes, Colour.
Pio Marmai, Ana Girardot, François Civil, Jean- Marc Roulot, Maria Valverde, Jean- Marie Winling, Florence Pernell, Eric Caravaca.
Directed by Cedric Klapisch.

This is a film to put on the list of French films that are worth seeing. While the English title emphasises the winegrowing area of Burgundy, the French title is more evocative of the themes of the film, Ties which Bind.

Visually, the film is most attractive, opening with a collage of the same view of the Vineyard throughout the seasons of the year. The location photography evokes the world of the Vineyards as well as life in a French town.

It is the characters who hold the interest. Jean offers a voice-over commentary on the events and the characters. He returns after 10 years away, driven away by his dominant father, but returning because of his terminal illness. (Dramatically, it is rather effective to have the reconciliations scene in the hospital placed later in the film, the earlier part concentrating on flashbacks and Jean’s difficulties with his father.) The family have been wine producers. On his return, Jean finds his sister, Juliette, managing the business, the harvest almost ready. There is also the younger brother, Jeremie, who has married a local girl, from a wealthy family and ad insistently dominating father, and they have a child.

Initially, there is great resentment that Jean had left, not made contact for 10 years, refused to come to his mother’s funeral. After an outburst, Jean is able to explain what has happened, his marriage in Australia, the birth of his son, their Vineyard out there.

So, while the timeline of the film shows the decisions about harvesting, the picking of the grapes and the workers who come in temporarily, the pressing of the grapes, the vats, the processes – offering all that any audience might have wanted to know about wine production, and even more…

The drama is interesting in the depiction of the three siblings, the effect of their father’s death, decisions about production, the reading of the will, the joint ownership of the house and the Vineyard, the pressures on Jean to sell his share and go back to Australia, Jeremie and his father-in-law wanting to buy parcels of the land, Juliette and her desire to be an effective wine producer.

There is a strong humanity in the film, audiences being caught up in the lives of the three central characters as well as in the work and the wine production. Pio Marmai plays Jean, and Ana Girardot is Juliette, François Civil is Jeremie. The film was directed by Cedric Klapisch – who knows how to make films about characters living together, bonds, conflicts, with his series of films which began with L’Auberge? Espagnol and was followed by Russian Dolls and Chinese Puzzle.


1. The titles? The focus on Burgundy, the focus on The Ties that Bind? Friends, the wine area, the visuals, the fields, the seasons and change? Location photography, the different domains, the crops, houses, mansions and interiors? The musical score?

2. The processes of wine production? The fields, the vines, the grapes, testing, decisions about harvesting, pressing the grapes, the various stages? The that’s? Tastes and comparisons? Storage over the years, the variety of names of the grapes? So much detail for the audience?

3. The background to the family, the three siblings, the crisis about the crops, property, their father’s death, taxes? The various perspectives? The resolution?

4. Jean, the focus, his age, appearance, arrival, the bus stop and his leaving, his return, after 10 years? The issues of correspondence, letters and phones, non-replying? His father driving him away, his illness causing Jean to return?

5. The voice-over, the presence in the past? The images of the children from the past, the swing with the three children, Jeremie climbing the tree, bedtime, their father, his sternness, reaction, the mother as a shield? The father rebuking Jean? Jean and his bitterness, seeing the visit to his sick father later in the film, his talking of the stress, his father holding his hand? The letter in the pocket of the coat? Jean reading it? The possibilities for reconciliation and forgiveness?

6. Juliette, her life, her father training her, her capacity for work? Her personal life? The staff, the temporary workers, her speech to the workers? The discussion about the day for harvesting, different ideas, listening to others? The capacity for work, with Jean and Jeremie? Her being upset by Marouande? Issues of bosses and orders, her being upset? Gene helping her? At the celebration, drinking, the kiss with Marouane? (And his return for the next season?)

7. Jeremie, the youngest, his wife, his son? His outburst of anger against Jean and his being absent, not corresponding, not at their mother’s funeral? Later getting more information? Working on the harvest? His relationship with Oceane, the son? His father-in-law, the tasting of the wine, the father-in-law and his insisting on everything, the couple living next door, the mother waiting on them on Sunday for breakfast? Their intention to move? The final confrontation with his father-in-law, the strong speech, yet his stammering, returning to Oceane? The issue of spitting the wine or drinking it? Not liking the coffee? Not wanting to look after the spa?

8. The father, his impact in the flashback sequences? His death, his will, the joint ownership, the effect of making decisions about the property and the house? The effect on the three, their handling of their grief? Decisions, positions taken, possibilities, the repairing of the house, people touring, the possibility of selling parcels of land, especially to the father-in-law?

9. Jean, his wandering for 10 years, South America, settling in Australia, his wife and son? The Vineyard? The complex relationship? The phone calls? Juliette phoning and its effect? Mother and son and their arrival, sharing the life at the domain, the boy, the issue of French and English? Wine production?

10. The passing of the year, the recurring images?

11. Jean, having to make a decision, reconciliation with his wife, love of his son? The decision to return home? Jeremie and his wife, the decision to move? Juliette, in charge of the new vintage? Meeting the workers?

12. The role of Burgundy, Burgundy as home, yet Australia as home?

13. A film about wine, sibling relationships, parents and children, harshness of the past, reconciliation and hope for the future?