A Few Hours of Spring is a movie that will have sensitive viewers weeping at the end. When Alain is released from prison after completing an 18-month sentence, he heads to his elderly mother’s house. Although Alain and his mother don’t get along well, he realizes that his mother has a condition that requires him to be by her side. Without resorting to exaggerated emotions, A Few Hours of Spring manages to keep it all real – mainly because the movie is told from the perspective of Alain, and not the mother. Most of us have or had ageing parents, and though cultural differences mean many of us will react differently to the situation Alain faces, it is easy to identify with what he goes through. Unfortunately, the movie establishes a sour (and even deteriorating) relationship between mother and son. Even during and after their arguments, neither of them reason with the other. This becomes detrimental to the movie, since it serves no purpose. Also, the languid pace and deliberation lead to no pay-off. Therefore, aside from the performances of the two lead actors, there is not much to admire here.
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