# Things to Come (2016 film)

Things to Come (French: L'Avenir, pronounced , lit. 'The Future')) is a 2016 drama film written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve. It stars Isabelle Huppert as Nathalie Chazeaux, a middle-aged philosophy professor whose life undergoes a series of changes. The film explores the themes of aging, family ties, intellectual passion, and personal freedom.
Things to Come was released theatrically in France on 6 April 2016 by Les Films du Losange and in Germany on 18 August 2016 by Weltkino Filmverleih. The film received critical acclaim and was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. At Berlin, Hansen-Løve won the Silver Bear for Best Director. Huppert won several nominations and awards for her performance in the film, including the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, and the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actress of the Year. It is considered among the best films of the 2010s and of the 21st century.

## Plot

Nathalie teaches philosophy in a Parisian high school, but for her it is not just a job, it is a way of living and thinking. With a past permeated by youthful idealism, she now aims to teach students to think for themselves, using philosophical texts that stimulate confrontation and discussion. Her life flows between her work, her husband, her two grown children, and her ex-model mother who needs constant attention. However, suddenly everything changes: her husband leaves her, her mother dies and Nathalie finds herself with unexpected and unusual freedom.

## Cast

* Isabelle Huppert as Nathalie Chazeaux
* André Marcon as Heinz
* Roman Kolinka [fr] as Fabien
* Édith Scob as Yvette Lavastre
* Sarah Le Picard [fr] as Chloé
* Solal Forte [fr] as Johann
* Élise Lhomeau [fr] as Elsa
* Lionel Dray as Hugo
* Grégoire Montana-Haroche as Simon
* Lina Benzerti as Antonia

## Production

Hansen-Løve said she wrote the role of Nathalie with Isabelle Huppert in mind. She also said Nathalie was loosely based on her mother, who was a philosophy professor and separated from her husband later in life. Principal photography began on 22 June 2015 in Paris.

## Reception
### Critical response

Things to Come received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A union to cherish between a writer-director and star working at peak power, Things to Come offers quietly profound observations on life, love, and the irrevocable passage of time." At Metacritic, the film received a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 28 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

### Box office

Things to Come grossed $5.6 million at the worldwide box office.

### Accolades

List of awards and nominations :
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Austin Film Critics Association | 28 December 2016 | Best Foreign-Language Film | Things to Come | Nominated |
| Berlin International Film Festival | 21 February 2016 | Best Director | Mia Hansen-Løve | Won |
| Berlin International Film Festival | 21 February 2016 | Golden Bear | Mia Hansen-Løve | Nominated |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | 11 December 2016 | Best Actress | Isabelle Huppert (also for Elle) | Won |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | 11 December 2016 | Best Foreign Film | Things to Come | Runner-up |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 22 October 2016 | Golden Hugo | Mia Hansen-Løve | Nominated |
| Dorian Awards | 26 January 2017 | Foreign Language Film of the Year | Things to Come | Nominated |
| Dublin Film Critics' Circle | 17 December 2016 | Best Actress | Isabelle Huppert | Nominated |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | 19 December 2016 | Best Actress | Isabelle Huppert | 10th Place |
| Jerusalem Film Festival | 17 July 2016 | The Wilf Family Foundation Award – Best International Film | Mia Hansen-Løve | Nominated |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 22 January 2017 | Actress of the Year | Isabelle Huppert | Won |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 22 January 2017 | Foreign Language Film of the Year | Things to Come | Nominated |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 4 December 2016 | Best Actress | Isabelle Huppert (also for Elle) | Won |
| National Society of Film Critics | 7 January 2017 | Best Actress | Isabelle Huppert (also for Elle) | Won |
| National Society of Film Critics | 7 January 2017 | Best Foreign Language Film | Things to Come | 3rd Place |
| New York Film Critics Circle | 1 December 2016 | Best Actress | Isabelle Huppert (also for Elle) | Won |
| Prix Louis-Delluc | 14 December 2016 | Best Film | Mia Hansen-Løve | Nominated |