By Mark Fields
Though not a familiar name to most American filmgoers, Léa Seydoux has performed in recent James Bond movies, various works of Wes Anderson, and even in the Tom Cruise MI franchise. But in her native France, she is highly regarded as one of the most capable and compelling screen actresses of her generation. Un beau matin (One Fine Morning) will only further enhance her well-deserved reputation. Essentially a slice of life film about a directionless young modern Parisian woman, director/screenwriter Mia Hanseen-Love’s film follows Seydoux’s character, Sandra, through her daily routines of work as a translator and also as a single mother to her daughter and caretaker to her terminally ill father. There is nothing earthshaking here, unless you consider, as I do, explorations of everyday humanity to be often deeply profound. The real joy of the film is watching Sandra’s life revealed through the emotive, empathetic face of Seydoux.
