A family tragedy leads to creeping doubt in When Fall is Coming, a new film from French director François Ozon that opens in Australian cinemas today. One is never quite certain what they are going to get with a new Ozon picture. In this case he presents a somewhat melancholic drama. In its saddest points it feels practically forlorn. At the same time there is an insidious unspoken undercurrent to the narrative, one that dominates the film’s second half and constantly threatens to break to the surface. It culminates in something that is evocative when it works, and a little frustrating when it fails.

Michelle (Hélène Vincent) is a retiree living in a village in Burgundy. When she accidentally puts poisonous field mushrooms in a lunch for her partially estranged daughter (Ludivine Sagnier), it creates a rift in the family that cuts Michelle off from her grandson. When the adult son of her best friend returns home from prison, it complicates her troubled relationship with her daughter even further.

This is a very ‘actorly’ movie, giving considerable time and patience to allowing its cast to deliver particularly strong and considered performances. There is a keen sense of realism to the characters, each of whom have their own uncertainties and flaws. Their relationships, and the history that defined them, is often either left unspoken for much of the film, or fail to be explained at all. Motivations in particular are often absent, so individual behaviour might feel believable without ever becoming explicable.

Ozon deliberately withholds information from his audience, and as character drama gives way to a murder mystery those missing scenes become a fulcrum on which the entire film is balanced. In this particular story, the absence becomes the most provocative part.

Ozon also does a deft job of juggling tone. There are lighter moments among the sadness, but that unexpectedly dark undercurrent feels ever-present. It is a complex emotional state for Ozon to sustain, and it is impressive how well he tends to balance things.

The film is a showcase for Hélène Vincent, who portrays Michelle with complexity and deep warmth. Ludivine Sagnier is similarly strong as Michelle’s daughter Valérie, whose bitterness seems deeply unlikeable at first before becoming more sympathetic as the film goes on. Strong support is provided by Josiane Balasko as best friend Marie-Claude, by Pierre Lottin as ex-convict Vincent, and Garlan Erlos as Michelle’s amiable but troubled grandson.

It is deeply satisfying to spend time with these characters but as the doubts emerge, and each of them begins to variously share or hide important truths, the risk of frustrating the audience starts to increase. I suspect the film’s conclusion – particularly its final denouement – will be divisive. I enjoyed it to an extent, but like Michelle and her circle of friends and family some doubts emerged. It is an uncertain, strangely ominous work.

When Fall is Coming is now screening in Australian cinemas. Check your local cinema for session times.