Preview: First Look at Museum of Moving Image 2025

Lead Critic; Brooklyn, New York

A highlight of the MoMI’s annual film programs, the 14th edition of First Look returns, today through March 16, with a diverse lineup — 38 films including four world premieres and 23 U.S. or North American premieres, representing 21 countries — beginning with the New York premiere of Durga Chew-Bose's Bonjour Tristesse with the director and star Lily McInerny in person. Half of all films in the festival this year, including opening night, are directed by women. The full schedule and advance tickets are available here.

Below are some of the most intriguing titles I was able to sample:

Bonjour Tristesse - Durga Chew-Bose

The original 1958 version, a cautious coming-of-age tale directed by Otto Preminger, made a star out of pixie-cut Jean Seberg (later to be immortalized in Godard's Breathless). With all the remake booms in recent years, it seemed Bonjour Tristesse was primed for an update.

Durga Chew-Bose, a Canadian filmmaker, makes her feature debut, with Claes Bang as Raymond, a widowed father; Chloe Sevigny as Anne, Raymond's old friend, an elegant fashion designer from Paris; and Lily McInerny as Cécile, a wide-eyed 17-year-old, trying to fix up her father's love life. In Chew-Bose's hand, this sun-drenched, French Riviera set fairy-tale-gone-wrong plays out like an elegant chamber piece. Beautifully lensed by Maximilian Pittner, the director concentrates on the tender father-daughter relationship with a hint of sadness.

Sevigny, playing against type as an uptight, motherly Anne, with an air of unapproachability, a wounded woman being denied of her long-lost love for the second time. With decidedly old-fashioned costumes and a familiar parent-trap theme, Bonjour Tristesse doesn't feel like it belongs in 2025, but this reboot is fun, nonetheless.

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