Boxes (2007)
Boxes (2007), directed by Jane Birkin, starring Geraldine Chaplin and Michel Piccoli.
score
Synopsis
Anna, 50 years old, moves into her new house. Rooms are full of boxes which contain a lot of things and plenty of memories. Anna has lived many lives and her past comes out of these boxes. Her parents surely, but also her children and their fathers, the living and the dead. In this breakneck period of her life, time is running faster and faster and Anna takes a run-up to face the past and try to go towards the future. And, maybe, to manage to still believe in love?
- François CatonnéCinematography
- Jane BirkinDirector, Screenplay
- Marie-Josée AudiardEditing
- Emmanuel GiraudProducer
About the film
Boxes (French: Les Boites) is a 2007 French film and the directorial debut of Jane Birkin. Birkin also stars alongside Geraldine Chaplin and Michel Piccoli. The film is based on Birkin's own family life, chronicling three marriages and the three children she bore from these marriages. The title alludes to the way in which she compartmentalises these relationships and stages of her life. The film was nominated for the Grand Prix at the Bratislava International Film Festival. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard portion of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May. It was released in France on 6 June 2007.
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Boxes (French: Les Boites) is a 2007 French film and the directorial debut of Jane Birkin. Birkin also stars alongside Geraldine Chaplin and Michel Piccoli. The film is based on Birkin's own family life, chronicling three marriages and the three children she bore from these marriages. The title alludes to the way in which she compartmentalises these relationships and stages of her life. The film was nominated for the Grand Prix at the Bratislava International Film Festival. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard portion of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May. It was released in France on 6 June 2007.
Plot
In Brittany, a middle-aged woman, Anna lives in a rambling home with her sometime dead father (Piccoli), her opinionated mother (Chaplin) and the memories of her three grown-up daughters. As Anna struggles with her mid-life crisis, the possessions and photographs in the home begin to spark her memories of childhood and earlier adulthood.
In particular the memories evoked are of her three husbands and the children she bore with them. Her first marriage to Fanny's English father (Hurt) failed and as a consequence, Fanny (Régnier) barely knows him. Fanny's half-sister is Camille (Doillon), who Anna had with Camille's now dead father, Max (Benichou). There is also her third husband, Jean (Karyo), with whom she had Lilly (Exarchopoulos), but he left to pursue affairs.
Cast
Geraldine Chaplin as Mother
Michel Piccoli as Father
Jane Birkin as Anna
Natacha Régnier as Fanny
Lou Doillon as Camille
John Hurt as Fanny's father
Maurice Bénichou as Max
Tchéky Karyo as Jean
Adèle Exarchopoulos as Lilli
Annie Girardot as Joséphine
Production
Birkin wrote the script for Boxes in 1995, shortly after her father's death. The film was shot in Birkin's own family home in Landéda. Birkin offered the main role of Anna to Chaplin, but Chaplin turned this down, feeling that as the role was written for a 45-year-old woman, she would be better suited to the role of Anna's mother.
Reception
Le Figaro praised the "worrying, unpredictable and touching sincerity" of the film. Michèle Levieux of L'Humanité said that the film was so well written, it deserved to be adapted for the stage.
References
External links
Boxes at IMDb
Text from Boxes (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxes_(film)
Trivia
- It premiered on June 6, 2007, a Wednesday.
- It runs 1h35 — a typical feature length.
- This film's quiz has 11 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosLes Films de la Croisade
- CountriesFrance
- LanguagesEnglish, French
- StatusReleased
Cast
-
Geraldine Chaplin
Mommy -
Michel Piccoli
Daddy -
Jane Birkin
Anna -
Natacha Régnier
Fanny -
Lou Doillon
Camille -
Adèle Exarchopoulos
Lilly -
John Hurt
Fanny's father -
Maurice Bénichou
Max -
Tchéky Karyo
Jean -
Annie Girardot
Joséphine - Serge Lafaurie Grandfather
- Diana Payne-Myers Mrs. Martin
- Jacques Caraës Young man on the boat
-
Jacques Baratier
Little widower - Paul Nehr Mr. Carton
- Edouard Tanguy Mr. Toufait
- Renée Tanguy Mrs. Toufait
- Olivier Rolin Guy
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
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The Safety of Objects Drama from the 2000s
6.5
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Marcas do Silêncio
7.1
-
Minha Pequena Princesa
6.5
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Strange Weather
5.9
-
Chaos Drama from the 2000s
6.4
-
Lugares Santos
6.1
-
The Adopted
6.8
-
Anorexia: A Ilusão da Beleza
6.5
-
Perigos da Rede
6.3
-
Adeus, June
6.5
-
Pelos Olhos de Maisie
7.1
-
Minha Zoe, Minha Vida
6.5
Tags
Crew
- François Catonné Cinematography
- Jane Birkin Director
- Marie-Josée Audiard Editing
- Emmanuel Giraud Producer
- Frank Eulry Original music
- Jane Birkin Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is Boxes about?
Boxes: Anna, 50 years old, moves into her new house. Rooms are full of boxes which contain a lot of things and plenty of memories. Anna has lived many lives and her past comes out of these boxes. Her parents surely, but also her children and their fathers, the living and the dead. In this breakneck period of her life, time i…
Who directed Boxes?
Boxes was directed by Jane Birkin in 2007.
Who stars in Boxes?
The cast of Boxes includes Geraldine Chaplin, Michel Piccoli, Jane Birkin, Natacha Régnier and Lou Doillon.
How long is Boxes?
Boxes runs for 95 minutes, or 1h35.
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Page updated on 09/10/2026.
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