The Truth

As unlikely as their pairing might seem, French icon Catherine Deneuve and Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda are a formidable team in The Truth, and that’s no lie.

In this richly textured drama from Kore-eda (Shoplifters), Deneuve brings some of her own life and career experiences to the role of an aging diva in this examination of celebrity and its effects on an already fragile family dynamic.

She plays Fabienne, a legendary actress whose latest role coincides with the upcoming publication of her memoirs, along with a visit to her Parisian estate by her daughter, Lumir (Juliette Binoche).

Lumir arrives from New York with her husband (Ethan Hawke) and young daughter (Clementine Grenier) to celebrate the release of the book, the triggering contents of which cause simmering resentment to bubble to the surface.

As it turns out, the author’s embellishments tend to glorify her own accomplishments while denigrating her friends and relatives. Fabienne’s longtime personal assistant (Alain Libolt) evens threatens to quit, although she’s oblivious to all of the commotion.

Maybe it’s her fuzzy memory at her age, or perhaps an entire life of telling stories has rendered Fabienne unable to discern fact from fiction. “I’m an actress. I won’t tell the naked truth,” she defiantly tells Lumir. But is she really being dishonest? Does it even matter?

Such questions lie at the heart of a melodrama that too often diverts its attention to narrative tangents yet remains compelling even when the bickering gets messy.

Seamlessly crossing cultural and geographic boundaries, Kore-eda’s first film outside his homeland might seem a better fit on stage with its small cast and single primary location, were it not for some charming visual details.

His bilingual screenplay is fascinating as a character study, even if it lacks broader insight into fame, legacies, and the artistic process in the social-media age — despite cursory references to YouTube and Wikipedia.

In an audacious bit of self-reflexive vulnerability, Deneuve offers subtle nods to some of her roles over the years. Her caustic character would probably love the movie, because everything essentially revolves around Fabienne.

The remainder of the cast provides able support in a film packed with contentious dialogue while also tender and observant in its study of memories and how they can shift perception — and indeed, truth.

Rated PG, 106 minutes.