Overview
A poignant exploration of love and loss, as memories intertwine with the present.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- reflective
- intimate
- quiet evening
- classic cinema night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Pierre lies gravely injured after the accident while flashbacks revisit his relationships and past choices.
Pierre's relationship with the younger Hélène is central to the film's romantic and moral tension.
Pierre's affair with Hélène is set against his marriage to Catherine and his family responsibilities.
The highway setting and routine traffic journey become the site of Pierre's fatal accident, reframing mundane life through dread.
Films like The Things of Life, and why
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
intimate romantic drama centered on memory, regret, and relationships under emotional pressure
A Man and a Woman
French romantic drama with restrained performances, marital conflict, and melancholic reflection
Scenes from a Marriage
European relationship drama exploring infidelity, emotional distance, and moral consequence
Brief Encounter
romantic tragedy shaped by memory, remorse, and a divided relationship
Movie Details
- Director
- Claude Sautet
- Release Date
- 1970-03-13
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (275)
Cast
- Michel Piccoli
- Romy Schneider
- Lea Massari
- Gérard Lartigau
- Jean Bouise
- Boby Lapointe
- Hervé Sand
- Jacques Richard
- Betty Beckers
- Dominique Zardi
Common questions
- What is The Things of Life about?
- After a highway engineer is gravely injured in a traffic accident, memories of love, marriage, and family turn his final moments into a poignant reckoning.
- What is The Things of Life like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Things of Life as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Things of Life violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Things of Life as mild.
- Which films are like The Things of Life?
- Films with a similar feel include The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, A Man and a Woman, Scenes from a Marriage, and Brief Encounter.
- How long is The Things of Life?
- The Things of Life runs 89 minutes.
