Renoir

Set in the lush, serene French countryside during World War I, Renoir is a magnificent tale of the last years of impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Pierre-Auguste is the father of renowned film director Jean Renoir, whose Grand Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939) are regarded as two of the finest films ever made. Father and son both have feelings for Andrée (Christa Theret), a model for Pierre-Auguste’s paintings. She’s the last of the muses for the grizzled, wheelchair-bound painter, sent on recommendation by his recently deceased wife. For Jean, she’s the key to his future. On convalescent leave from the war, the two meet at his father’s manor and slowly fall in love. It’s a beautiful picture; the film almost seems to float listlessly. It’s also an interesting look at two brilliant, creative lives and the woman who steered them at the end and from the beginning.