SAVE A LITTLE LOVE

French cinema is renowned, maybe enven stereotyped, for soulful explorations of romantic love. But “l'amour” in SAVE A LITTLE LOVE has a distinctly familial meaning. In provincial France, three very different women form one small, embattled household. Daughter Gisele has applied to study acting at the illustrious Paris Conservatory. Dreamy and optimistic, she is already dwelling in her bright future. Her sister Sandra, however, shocked everyone by attempting suicide. Released from the hospital to a handful of friends, she remains one of the walking wounded, an infuriating case for everyone who cares about her. Their mother Monique, meanwhile, has just been downsized out of her lifelong job at a fabric factory. Work and workmates once defined her existence; now approaching her 58th birthday, with an early-retirement pension, Monique feels strange and unsettled at the prospect of having nothing to do all day long. Meanwhile Sandra drifts towards a reluctant reunion with the single parent she pained the most. Zaida Ghorab-Volta's tender, humane little drama is a real find, as it captures quiet moments of crucial transistion in its characters' lives. (In French with English subtitles)