Folks 2012

The film stars Adèle Haenel(/actor/adle-haenel), Juliette Lamboley(/actor/juliette-lamboley), Faustine Tournan(/actor/faustine-tournan), and Christophe Reymond(/actor/christophe-reymond).

Jon Aldrich is a successful stockbroker living a comfortable life with his wife, Audrey, and their two kids. The calm begins to fracture when he confronts the consequences of his elderly father Harry’s dementia after a catastrophic accident—Harry accidentally burns down his own house. Jon’s attempt to shield the family from the fallout backfires when his sister Arlene, who is portrayed here as self-centered and unreliable, refuses to lend a hand. With Arlene unavailable, Harry and his wife Mildred end up moving in with Jon’s family, and the guest room becomes a pressure chamber for everyone’s nerves and finances.

What follows is a widening cascade of professional and personal upheaval. The stockbroker’s company appears to be entangled in illegal activities, a fact that Jon knows nothing about himself, but no one believes his warning. The workplace turmoil spills into his home life; as rumors swirl and the business falls apart, Jon loses his job, and the family’s finances begin to crumble. Audrey, frustrated and overwhelmed, eventually moves out with the children, leaving Jon to shoulder an escalating burden. The once-stable family life devolves into a constant struggle to keep the roof from caving in.

Harry’s dementia brings a string of physical hazards as well. A car accident injures Jon’s hand, his foot, and even costs him a testicle, all while Harry’s unpredictable behavior and reckless safety lapses threaten the kids’ safety. In one unsettling moment, Harry’s attempt to take the children out for a walk—without informing anyone—turns into a dangerous jaywalking incident that unsettles the entire family.

As the dust settles, Jon’s grip on reality begins to slip. The sense of being overwhelmed intensifies when he discovers that both he and his family have been financially set back by the situation, and he starts to question his own sanity amid increasingly chaotic days. A chilling confession emerges: Mildred and Harry have discussed a plan for Jon to help them die in order to collect the insurance money. He resists at first, but the temptation of a way out—or perhaps a way to salvage something for his family—gradually takes hold.

Arlene returns to the scene with her two adult-sized, demanding sons, seeking shelter and a fresh start. She becomes entangled in the illicit plot, hoping for a windfall from the insurance. Her presence intensifies the ethical turbulence and mottled loyalties that already cloud Jon’s decision-making. The cooperation among those who feel they’ve been trapped by circumstance grows increasingly volatile, and the tension edges toward a breaking point.

Audrey finally returns, driven by a longing to repair the fractured relationship and to express her belief in Jon’s efforts to keep the family afloat. The reunion is heartfelt but complicated by the visible scars of recent events—Jon’s injuries, the financial strain, and the moral dilemma hanging over everyone. As Jon confronts the moral hazard of the planned scheme, he tracks down Arlene, Harry, and Mildred with a renewed resolve to put an end to their dangerous plans, even if it means more risk to himself.

In a decisive turn, Jon foils another attempt at the suicide plot, though not without further harm to himself. The crisis is not merely resolved by force of will; it is resolved through a shift in circumstances and relationships. Audrey’s return rekindles a sense of family unity, and the couple begins to rebuild their life together, moving toward a more stable future. The family chemistry is reset when they decide to relocate to a countryside home, and Harry and Mildred move in with them, seeking a quieter—yet still complicated—domestic life.

Arlene’s trajectory also shifts: she ends up with a partner who can manage her energetic, sometimes-explosive dynamic, and her life takes a more grounded path away from the immediate pressures that once defined her. The final twist reframes the entire story: Harry’s continual mutterings about “McDonald’s” were not simply a hunger cue but an allusion to a much larger fortune. In a revealing reveal, it’s disclosed that Harry had bought stock in McDonnell Douglas years earlier, which has grown into a vast and hidden wealth. The joke of the stock market becomes a meaningful payoff, reframing the earlier chaos as a misdirected fortune that quietly turns the family’s fate toward security.

Together, the family members recalibrate their lives. Jon and Audrey purchase a country house, and the extended family—Harry and Mildred—settle into a new home there as well. Arlene’s life stabilizes with a partner who can handle her sons, offering a more balanced backdrop for the family’s renewed sense of security. The story ends on a note that blends relief with irony: what started as a near-collapse of a family’s world culminates in a surprising financial windfall that helps them rebuild, redefine their bonds, and move forward with a quieter sense of hope. > “McDonald’s”