A Good Year
Directed by Ridley Scott
- comedy
- drama
- romance
The story
Failed London banker Max Skinner inherits his uncle's vineyard in Provence, where he spent many childhood holidays. Upon his arrival, he meets a woman from California who tells Max she is his long-lost cousin and that the property is hers.
What it’s like
Sun-washed Provence in warm golden hour light, with dusty ochre farmhouse walls, cypress shadows, lavender fields and sweeping vineyard vistas that Ridley Scott frames with a loose, sunny sheen. Interiors glow amber in candlelit dinners and cool cellar stone, and the score leans on bright acoustic guitar and easy strings that drift under cicadas, clinking glasses and the splash of a swimming pool. The vibe is sunny, nostalgic and gently wistful, a holiday postcard with a bruise of grief underneath. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a lighthearted evening with a bottle of rosé, or a comfort rewatch on a slow summer night. Pacing is unhurried and playful, with a stressed city man slowly softening, reconnecting with his past and loosening up in the warm southern air. The intensity is low: some mild bawdy humour and a little romance, with no violence and only brief, sad mentions of a death. It is for people who want a light, sensual escape with wine, sunshine and a charming, easygoing romance.
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