In THINGS TO COME, Isabelle Huppert plays Nathalie, a philosophy teacher separating from her husband, and losing her mother. Despite the melodrama of these events, Nathalie takes solace in the fact that she leads a rigorous intellectual life, and her background in theory helps her through this difficult time. THINGS TO COME ultimately deals with how people construct their own philosophies from the books, movies, and events they’ve experienced, coming to the conclusion that all of us use these different tools to examine important moments in our lives.
In an interview with Slant Magazine, Isabelle Huppert confirms this, “The way philosophy is used in the film, it’s not very abstract, and of course philosophy can be very abstract. But in this case, philosophy is more like a project of life: It leads to [Nathalie’s] sensitivity to beauty, her sensitivity of course to intelligence and to ideas. It gives joy to her. And the few quotes [from philosophical texts] that run during the film just make you think about very simple things like ‘Do we need people?’ or ‘How can we be happy?’ That’s what philosophy, most of the time, in the simplest conception of the word, is about.”
The film, like the philosophy it intersperses throughout, is open for interpretation. Isabelle Huppert’s masterful performance gives subtle complexity to a character who could easily slip into a dramatic cliche. Nathalie’s feelings aren’t always clear, or relatable, but there is always a sense that whatever Nathalie is feeling, she is feeling it deeply.
— Diana Martinez, Film Streams Education Director
