SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

jormatuominen Director Philippe Claudel has also written the script which mixes film genres to great effect. He pulls it off with a most unlikely plot with the help of great acting work from Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas and the sad-eyed and lovely Leila Bekhti. This is a mystery without a crime and a romantic triangle of sorts completely without sex. That alone makes this film unwatchable for many and quite challenging for all. The main character as played by Auteuil is a surgeon of about 60 years whose life has been his work. A chance meeting, as it seems, with a lovely young woman rocks him off his tracks. Auteuil begins to doubt if his life has been meaningful at all and is drawn to the vitality of the young woman who appears to have similar traumas as he has had in his earlier life. At times the audience may be as lost as Auteuil's poor character, wondering what is going on and where on earth is Mr. Claudel taking us. The director was 51 when the film was made, and being about 60 myself I can't help thinking that this film is about aging of men and dealing with it more than anything else. Few have commented on the very difficult role of the tormented siren tempting the aging surgeon. I cannot imagine a better choice for this role than Leila Bekhti, who gives it much more credibility and much more a sense of mystery than it would have on paper. So the ninth point goes for her contribution. If you give Before the Winter Chill your full attention, it will stay on your mind and intrigue you for quite a while.

Kirpianuscus small domestic scenes from a family's every day life. a meeting. and image of a profound crisis. a film who could have different definitions. thriller, crime, art film, psychological. but who remains admirable work for the impeccable performance of Kristin Scott Thomas and Daniel Auteuil. for the image of reality beyond the words. for a form of delicacy in define the events like a painting in water colors. a film about values and about fear to lost sense of life. a film who is really seductive not exactly for story but for details. the last scene is a good example. not different by many films with similar theme, it is really beautiful for the doses of drama and for the inspired use of silence. a film about a family. its crisis. and the hope.

leplatypus I watched it to complete Leila's filmography but this movie is so far her worst participation. It's not that she's bad because for one time she acts beyond her roots but this movie is just meaningless. It collects all the same, old, abused and boring clichés of French drama as it's about the hollow life of a bourgeois couple: we have their total traits: the housewife, the prestigious doctor husband, the tennis matches, the opera, the on shoulders pull, the successful kids and even if they got all this, they feel empty, they are unable to communicate and they want to add fire to their « poor » life. Sure, every body shares this spleen for a perfect life, a life when dreams come true but on the other hand, i really don't care about the bed stories of the bourgeois. It's all the more painful here that practically all the scenes are totally useless as the characters sits, walks, drives alone and in the silence ! Maybe some appreciate this but sorry I skip it

Paul Allaer "Avant L'Hiver" (2013 release from France; 105 min.) brings the story of a married couple, Paul and Lucie (played by Daniel Auteuil and Kristen Scott Thomas, respectively). As the movie opens, we get to know Paul as a successful neurosurgeon who spends too much time focusing on his job and not enough time on his wife. Then one day Paul runs into Lou, a bartender whom he had treated once when she was a young child. It is not long before it becomes clear that Lou (played by Leïla Bekhti) has a strong interest in Paul. Will Paul reciprocate? Meanwhile Lucie needs to deal with her unstable sister Mathilde, and Paul's business partner in his private practice, Gerard, seems to have an unusual interest in Pau's wife Lucie. To tell you more of this plot-heavy movie would surely ruin your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this is a fairly straight-forward relationship drama, focusing on whether the marriage of Paul and Lucie can survive all of the commotions. Contrary to another reviewer here, I did not experience this movie as a "thriller", slow-burning or not... That aside, I absolutely enjoyed the acting performance of Daniel Auteuil from start to finish. He has a natural ability for these types of roles.I saw this movie during a recent family visit to Belgium, where it had just opened. The screening I saw this at, a week day matinée, was reasonably well attended. No idea if this movie will ever get a release in the US, be it in theatres or on DVD/Blu-ray, but if you have a chance to see this, I would readily recommend this movie to you.