Fresh Start: Five Spring Films

Spring has finally arrived and with it comes (hopefully) warmer weather, budding flowers, and, of course, a renewed desire to watch movies! More specifically, this is the perfect time to explore films that not only feel Spring-y, but also deal with themes of transformations and fresh starts.

From April showers in Tokyo to May flowers in Paris, here are five classic Spring films that excel at capturing this season’s rejuvenating essence.

Le Bonheur (1965)

A woman and a man sit in a field. The man has his hands around the woman's face. They are outside and it is daytime. — L-R: Claire Drouot as Thérèse and Jean-Claude Drouot as François in *Le Bonheur* (1965). Photo courtesy of Janus Films.

Written and directed by iconic French filmmaker Agnès Varda, Le Bonheur (1965) is a drama closely associated with the French New Wave that follows François (Jean-Claude Drouot), a young woodworker whose idyllic life with his lovely wife Thérèse (Claire Drouot) and two small children is forever altered when he falls in love with a beautiful postal worker named Émilie (Marie-France Boyer).

While this is the only film on this list that canonically takes place outside of Spring (instead beginning in Summer and ending in Fall), Le Bonheur undeniably captures the blooming season through its frequent use of flora and fauna as bold, experimental transitions (and, later, as witnesses to the ongoing affair) in addition to its overarching themes of love, transformation, and, as its title suggests, happiness. As a romance, this film succeeds, its leads possessing undeniable chemistry (especially François and Thérèse whose actors were married in real life).

Many also view this film as a horror film, which it’s admittedly less successful in embodying as its infuriating protagonist and dark, unsatisfying ending leaves much to be desired. With this said, Le Bonheur is an aesthetically-pleasing, ahead-of-its-time drama that makes for a solid watch to kick off the Spring season.

April Story (1998)

A woman stands in the rain. She is holding a red umbrella. She is outside and it is daytime. — Takako Matsu as Uzuki Nireno in *April Story* (1998). Photo courtesy of Mubi.

Written and directed by Japanese filmmaker Shunji Iwai, April Story (1998) is a coming-of-age romance/drama that follows Uzuki Nireno (Takako Matsu), a shy young woman who leaves her hometown on the island of Hokkaido to attend university in Tokyo, eventually coming face-to-face with the reason why she traveled there in the first place.

Brimming with cherry blossoms, bike rides, and—in a wholly memorable final scene—a typically Spring downpour, April Story is a perfect encapsulation of all the season has to offer. While this is a quintessentially “no plot, just vibes” film, many will find comfort, joy, and inspiration in this cozy bildungsroman about a reserved girl finding love and purpose in a new city.

The Company of Strangers (1990)

Two women sit in a field, their backs to the camera. They are outside and it is daytime. — L-R: Mary Meigs and Cissy Meddings as versions of themselves in *The Company of Strangers* (1990). Photo courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.

Co-written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Cynthia Scott, The Company of Strangers (1990) is a work of docufiction that follows eight women—all but one of whom is elderly—who become stranded in an isolated part of the Canadian countryside and must learn to survive together. Part-drama and part-documentary, this wholly original feature directorial debut seeks to understand its seven elderly protagonists with a mostly ad-libbed script and several incorporations of real photos from these women’s storied lives.

Despite its weak narrative, the film touches on a plethora of themes through its diverse cast, including femininity, queerness, Indigenous identity, faith, and so much more. Unlike other pieces of media whose characters are “stranded”—such as Lost and Yellowjackets—The Company of Strangers focuses less on these women seeking rescue and more on them finding community with one another as they face aging and mortality, both within the confines of the story as well as in real life.

Needless to say, with a thin, unfocused plot, this is certainly not the most entertaining watch on this list. However, The Company of Strangers may very well be the most heartwarming as these charming women sing, dance, birdwatch, catch frogs, and otherwise relish their Spring-like surroundings in spite of the many challenges they face.

Daisies (1966)

Two women dance in a field on opposite sides of a fruit tree. They are outside and it is daytime. — L-R: Jitka Cerhová as Marie I and Ivana Karbanová as Marie II in *Daisies* (1966). Photo courtesy of The Criterion Channel.

Co-written and directed by acclaimed Czechoslovakian filmmaker Věra Chytilová, Daisies (1966) is a satire widely regarded as a milestone of the Czechoslovak New Wave movement. The surrealist film follows two sisters, Marie I (Jitka Cerhová) and Marie II (Ivana Karbanová), as they embark on a series of destructive pranks that threaten to consume the world as they know it.

With experimental editing, breathtaking cinematography, and a pair of loveable protagonists, Daisies overcomes its shoestring plot, transforming into a film like no other as it explores themes of sexuality, class, and societal—oftentimes gendered—norms dictated by patriarchy. One could write a whole paper on the role of flowers, fruit, and other symbols of nature as they come to represent these women’s carnal desires.

It’s true that some fans of “traditional” New Wave films might find this addition to the genre gratuitous or uninteresting. However, others are sure to enjoy these characters’ childlike whimsy and spontaneous behavior as they seek to create a new world within this rich, undoubtedly springtime film.

A Tale of Springtime (1990)

Two women stand in a garden, flowering trees behind them. They are outside and it is daytime. — L-R: Anne Teyssèdre as Jeanne and Florence Darel as Natacha in *A Tale of Springtime* (1990). Photo courtesy of Janus Films.

Written and directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Éric Rohmer, A Tale of Springtime (1990) is the first installment in his beloved “Tales of the Four Seasons” series that follows Jeanne (Anne Teyssèdre), an unsatisfied philosophy professor who befriends a younger student named Natacha (Florence Darel) and becomes entangled with the latter’s father Igor (Hugues Quester) and his messy romantic affair.

As its title suggests, this film is a full-blown celebration of Spring. From visits to a blooming countryside childhood home to explorations of adult relationships and cycles of renewal, A Tale of Springtime is not only an engaging love story, but also the perfect springtime watch.

Additionally, Rohmer’s influence on contemporary filmmakers is on full display throughout the film; many viewers will be reminded of Wes Anderson by the film’s symmetrical, aesthetically-pleasing frames and of Richard Linklater by the story’s realistic (albeit longwinded) dialogue. Truly, A Tale of Springtime has something for everyone, especially those looking for a fresh start this coming season.