french films > Time to Leave

Time to Leave

Time to Leave

cast: Melvil Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau,Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi

year: 2005

colour: yes

certificate:

director: François Ozon

runtime: 85

The second in François Ozon’s planned trilogy on the subject of mourning, Time to Leave, resonates with a sincerity you might not expect from the director of 5 X 2, his last film. But if you recall Under the Sand then that might not be so surprising. Romain (the excellent Melvil Poupaud), a goodlooking young fashion photographer with a successful career, a cute boyfriend and seemingly everything to live for, collapses during a shoot. His initial concern that he might have AIDS is trounced by a diagnosis which reveals untreatable terminal cancer. Faced with the knowledge that he has only a few months to live, he decides to tell no-one except his grandmother (the inestimable Jeanne Moreau), who herself is close to death. As Romain bears the weight of his knowledge alone, Ozon views his struggle through anger and denial, to reach an acceptance of sorts. The character is never sanctified or made heroic, and the reconciliations he makes are with himself rather than with others. Intimate, moving and minimalist.

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