I'm going home = Je rentre a la maison [DVD]

In this elegiac feature from Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, Michel Piccoli plays Gilbert Valence, a well-respected, and aging, theatre and screen actor. Valence is aggrieved by the sudden death of close family, retreating somewhat, but also drawing enormous pleasure from the responsibility of caring for his grandson. Internalising his grief, Valence comes to terms with the fact that society is changing whilst he remains the same - his agent offers him parts in lucrative but lowbrow dramas, despite Valence’s protestation that he values his craft; similarly Valence is outraged by the suggestion that he may find solace in romance with a young actress. Piccoli puts in a grand performance as Valence, and de Oliveira captures the savouring of everyday pleasures - a fine new pair of shoes or a daily coffee at his favourite cafe. These observations set a gently comic, if slightly melancholic tone, providing a deft and moving rumination on the themes of aging and artistry. Support cast include Catherine Deneuve, as a fellow thespian and John Malkovich, as an American director. This film represented a breakthrough for de Oliveira, who started his career as a silent era - reflected in the use of expression and gesture to convey meaning, rather than dialogue laden exchanges.