# A Sunday in the Country

A Sunday in the Country (French: Un Dimanche à la Campagne) is a 1984 French drama film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Bertrand Tavernier, based on Pierre Bost's 1945 novel Monsieur Ladmiral va bientôt mourir. The film stars Louis Ducreux, Michel Aumont, Sabine Azéma, Geneviève Mnich, and Monique Chaumette. It explores family dynamics in a clan on the eve of World War I.
The film was theatrically released in France on 11 April 1984, and was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 37th Cannes Film Festival, where Tavernier was awarded Best Director. It received generally positive reviews from critics. The film won Best Actress for Azéma, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography from a total of eight nominations, including Best Film, at the 10th César Awards. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 42nd Golden Globe Awards and the 38th British Academy Film Awards.

## Plot

The story takes place during a Sunday in the late summer of 1912. Monsieur Ladmiral is a painter without any real genius and in the twilight of his life. Since the death of his wife, he lives alone with Mercedes, his servant. As every Sunday, he invites Gonzague, his son, a steady young man, who likes order and propriety, accompanied by his wife, Marie-Thérèse and their three children, Emile, Lucien and Mireille. That day, Irène, Gonzague's sister, a young non-conformist, liberated and energetic woman, upsets this peaceful ritual and calls into question her father's artistic choices.

## Cast

* Louis Ducreux as Monsieur Ladmiral
* Michel Aumont as Gonzague
* Sabine Azéma as Irène
* Geneviève Mnich as Marie-Thérèse
* Monique Chaumette as Mercédès
* Thomas Duval as Emile
* Quentin Ogier as Lucien
* Katia Wostrikoff as Mireille
* Claude Winter as Madame Ladmiral
* Jean-Roger Milo as Fisherman (Le pêcheur)
* Pascale Vignal as A servant (La serveuse)
* Jacques Poitrenaud as Hector (Patron guinguette)
* Valentine Suard as Little girl (La petite fille 1)
* Erika Faivre as Little girl (La petite fille 2)
* Marc Perrone as Accordionist (L'accordéoniste)

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that "A Sunday in the Country is exquisite - purposefully and almost painfully so - from beginning to end" and stated it "is one of the director's very best films, acted as beautifully and thoughtfully as it is staged." Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post described it as "a glistening, ornately constructed movie in which everything's of a piece" and said that "what's extraordinary about A Sunday in the Country is the way Tavernier, with a few strokes, limns nuanced, authentic characters." Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times called the film "moving and masterly" and commented that "a felicity and intelligence infuse every particle of the film, its clothes, its art direction, editing, photography and music. The actors are superb." Roger Ebert gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, feeling Tavernier's story was "graceful and delicate" and wrote that "A Sunday in the Country has a haunting, sweet, sad quality. It is about this family, and many families. It is told by Tavernier with great attention to detail, and the details add up to the way life is."

### Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 1984 | Cannes Film Festival | Best Director | Bertrand Tavernier | Won |
| 1984 | National Board of Review Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Sabine Azéma | Won |
| 1984 | National Board of Review Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | A Sunday in the Country | Won |
| 1984 | National Board of Review Awards | Top Five Foreign Language Films | A Sunday in the Country | Won |
| 1984 | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Foreign Film | A Sunday in the Country | Won |
| 1985 | National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Picture | A Sunday in the Country | Runner-up |
| 1985 | National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Director | Bertrand Tavernier | Runner-up |
| 1985 | National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Screenplay | Colo Tavernier Bertrand Tavernier | Runner-up |
| 1985 | Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Director | Bertrand Tavernier | Won |
| 1985 | Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | A Sunday in the Country | Won |
| 1985 | London Film Critics' Circle Awards | Foreign Language Film of the Year | A Sunday in the Country | Won |
| 1985 | New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Director | Bertrand Tavernier | Runner-up |
| 1985 | New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | A Sunday in the Country | Won |
| 1985 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Foreign Film | A Sunday in the Country | Nominated |
| 1985 | César Awards | Best Film | A Sunday in the Country | Nominated |
| 1985 | César Awards | Best Actor | Louis Ducreux | Nominated |
| 1985 | César Awards | Best Actress | Sabine Azéma | Won |
| 1985 | César Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Michel Aumont | Nominated |
| 1985 | César Awards | Best Director | Bertrand Tavernier | Nominated |
| 1985 | César Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Colo Tavernier Bertrand Tavernier | Won |
| 1985 | César Awards | Best Cinematography | Bruno de Keyzer | Won |
| 1985 | César Awards | Best Editing | Armand Psenny | Nominated |
| 1985 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | A Sunday in the Country | Nominated |
| 1986 | Mainichi Film Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | A Sunday in the Country | Won |

## Music

The sound track features excerpts from Gabriel Fauré chamber works: the third movement of the String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 121, second movement of the Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120, and first movement of the Piano Quintet No. 2 in C minor, Op. 115.