With her husband and child in tow, a resentful screenwriting daughter (Juliette Binoche) pays a visit to her mother (Catherine Deneuve), an arrogant, legendary, self-centered actress with the usual egocentric problems and tendencies, etc.

You can tell right off the bat that Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s The Truth (IFC Films, 3.20.20) will be a mild cup of tea.

“No matter how strong the performances or how assured the direction may be, The Truth can’t shake how, on a writing level, Kore-eda is out of his element. With so many characters finding themselves questioning their own memories and versions of the past, it’s only natural to start asking questions ourselves.

“But if Kore-eda wants to dictate those questions rather than let viewers ask them on their own, that leaves a lot to be desired. According to Kore-eda, the truth is whatever he tells us it is.” — filed on 9.6.19 by The Film Stage‘s C.J. Prince.

In short, what is anyone’s memory but a highly selective accounting of what may or may not have happened?

The Truth opened yesterday in France.