Milou en mai (1990)

May Fools poster

English Title: May Fools
Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)
Starring: Michel Piccoli, Miou-Miou
Directed by: Louis Malle

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: A man named Milou (Michel Piccoli) is saddened when his mother dies and wholly unprepared when a flock of relatives descend upon the estate looking for their share.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): At the beginning of the film we see Milou’s mother, Madam Vieuzac (Paulette Dubost) in the kitchen cooking onions. She suddenly has trouble breathing and falls across the kitchen table where a black cat is standing.

May Fools - Milou en Mai - black cat on table with Madam Vieuzac Paulette Dubost

Madam Vieuzac makes it up one flight of stairs to a landing where she has several dolls arranged on a bench. She keels over and dies among the dolls. Moments later the housekeeper finds her with the cat licking her face.

May Fools - Milou en Mai - black cat licking the face of Madam Vieuzac Paulette Dubost

After this a large group of relatives descend upon the house. Among them are Françoise (Jeanne Herry), Milou’s granddaughter and Lily (Harriet Walter), the new wife of Milou’s brother Georges (Michel Duchaussoy). Lily and Françoise in particular take a liking to the cat, who shows up at the dinner table between Lily and one of the little boys. Lily pets the cat and says, regarding the death of the matriarch, “You’re lucky. In Egypt you would have been buried with her.”

May Fools - Milou en Mai - black cat on table being petted by Lily Harriet Walter

The cat jumps up on the table when the family lawyer is trying to explain the will to the beneficiaries. The lawyer keeps knocking the cat back off the table.

May Fools - Milou en Mai - black cat on table in front of attorney

The cat spends time with the matriarch’s body, despite all the zany commotion going on involving the family. A friend of the deceased comes to pay her respects but is also disturbed by the craziness. Françoise comes and takes the cat away from the body.

May Fools - Milou en Mai - black cat lying on dead body in room

May Fools - Milou en Mai - François picking up black cat lying from dead body

Later when Milou is showing Lily some old family photos, she is holding the cat in her lap.

May Fools - Milou en Mai - black cat in lap of Lily Harriet Walter who is looking at photos with Milou Michel Piccoli

Finally in a late scene the family dances in a line around the home, including through the room with the body. The cat jumps down from the body and then is on a table to one side looking scared and hisses and strikes at the dancers as they pass.

May Fools - Milou en Mai - black cat lying with dead body