Sharing a traditional charm of a French cinematography, Francois Ozon tells us of a bi-photographer's preparations to meet inevitable resulted eventually from his brain tumour development.

A touching story.

I just didn't see what was so great about this movie. The description made it looked like it would be a wonderful tearjerker of a movie. Instead, I found myself impatient for the end.



Romain is a young gay fashion photographer, who likes to score coke on the side. When he blacks out on the job, he is told, by his doctor, that he has an inoperable brain tumor. In addition, chemotherapy wouldn't do much help and he has little time left.



So, Romain rejects any form of treatment. He decides to alienate himself from his boyfriend and family. He breaks up with his boyfriend. Of course, one can understand that he is trying to spare his boyfriend the grief and pain of his pending death. Despite his parents' plea to be nice, he insults his sensitive sister. Regardless of everything, he doesn't tell anyone about his health. He only tells one person: his grandmother. He only tells her because she would die soon.



After that, the movie pretty much lost my attention. Even when he was asked to impregnate a woman since her husband was sterile. His dying scene wasn't touching at all. You wanna cry hard about someone one dying at the beach? Then, go rent *Beaches*.

((Here is my approach to obtaining/viewing/reviewing Gay tales in film form. Simply, it's seeking the holy grail of that genre, the "Addictive Film"---that movie one returns to time and again. Selection/purchase is based mainly on finding new releases by favorite directors/screenwriters and/or on comments/reviews by others of you at major online film sales/review sites. Re your reviews, sometimes I feel correctly steered (the "Keepers" filling my DVD shelves), other times mislead, occasionally badly (the "Throwaways"---and I do toss 'em). Rarely, I come across the "Addictive," those watchable every couple of months or so (see below starred *** area for a list......and some of the "near-Addictive" as well). For some movies, I'll want to share a full review with you, as follows for this film. Thanks for sticking with me so far.))

(Message to the Director:......Ah, Francois.....Francois, if your intent was to give us a heart shatteringly sad tale, you've succeeded only too well. Yet, in the end, you have also given us---in Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's character of Jany---a glimpse of Romain's redemption.)

This is one of the most despairingly heart-rending films you are likely to see: the tale of a dying young man who, perhaps unwisely, decides not to share his impending death (and choice not to fight overwhelming odds) with anyone close to him. This is true for everyone, except a beloved grandmother, and goes even so far as to include driving away a lover.

The resulting loneliness and feelings of loss this amazing French actor (Melvil Poupaud) causes us to share with him are overwhelming; at times we're struck almost physically---not just emotionally. As we watch him, body wasting away (for that is really what the young actor did in taking on this role), we almost painfully feel our own bodies contracting, diminishing. There are moments when we want to physically strike him for his behavior, though even more there are instants we want to take him into our arms.....let him know that he is not alone.....that some way, at such times, we are all connected.

Jumping to the Final Scene: Romain has withdrawn from the world......we then see a 'sun-setting' world withdraw from him (yes, you do actually see that........the symbolism is heart wrenching).

PS--Letting you in on a little secret, after viewing this film one has only to look again at the cover of the DVD.......to unerringly 'know' how Romain's life truly ends / begins. All becomes clear.

PPS--Obviously I strongly disagree with reviewers who, principally, can find only the negative in Romain. He is (was), after all, only too human.

****

"Time to Leave" is Francois Ozon's version of a melodrama/tearjerker in the same vein as the Bette Davis films of the 30's and 40's particularly "Dark Victory." His take on the musical, "8 Women" is weird, stylish, over-the-top but ultimately successful. "Swimming Pool" is a sexual thriller with style to burn and features a nude scene by Charlotte Rampling: all glorious 60 years of her.
Ozon's central character Romain (Melvil Poupaud) is selfish and pouty and the fact that he is dying from cancer does not make him less so. After learning that he will die soon, Romain tells no one, proceeds to thoughtlessly dismiss his lover, brutally insult his sister at a family gathering and generally act as thoughtless as one who is dying has a right to. It can go either way, can't it? Facing imminent death do you let loose with a fury of invective and self-loathing or do you forget the past and attempt to make amends for a life not particularly well lived. For the most part, Romain chooses the former until he seeks out his grandmother (the still radiant Jean Moreau who adds much needed humanity and thoughtfulness here): his shield dissolves and he looks for and receives warmth and love. When Grams asks him why he has chosen to tell her about his impending death, he says "It's because you are also so close to death...you will understand." Weak, self-centered, passive-aggressive hogwash.
Though Melvil Poupaud does a good job as Romain and Ozon structures and stages his inevitable death as if Romain is Manon in "Manon Lescaut," Romain remains an unabashed anti-hero: one whose first concern is himself and though a subplot involves Romain valiantly donating his sperm to a childless couple...one that you can't help but despise yet nonetheless grudgingly admire for his single-minded rage against an inevitable death without letting go of his basic, though loathsome nature.

François Ozon (Water Drops on Burning Rocks, 8 Women, Swimming Pool, 5X2) is one of the most fascinatingly talented French directors on the scene today. His films have a simplicity, a direct approach to the mind and the heart, and an extreme respect for both his actors and his audience - factors that allow him a means for communication that is rare and proves he has few equals. In LE TEMPS QUI RESTE (Time to Leave) he addresses that earth-shattering moment of being informed that death is imminent and shows us how one character copes with that information and how it changes his remaining days and his history of relating to others.

Romain (Melvil Poupaud) is a handsome and successful fashion photographer who is gay, has a lover Sasha (Christian Sengewald), but is somewhat estranged from his family. For some reason he cannot relate to his pregnant sister Sophie (Louise-Anne Hippeau) despite his mother's (Marie Rivière) pleading and his father's (Daniel Duval) distance. During a fashion shoot Romain faints, is taken to the doctor (Henri de Lorme) who informs him he has metastatic cancer for which there is little hope (except for chemotherapy and radiation therapy) that he will live past a few months. Romain opts to go without treatment and begins to face his remaining life with silent gloom. After a very sensuous sexual encounter with Sasha (Ozon holds nothing back in depicting this!), Romain decides to quit his job, tells Sasha to leave, separates from his family, and visits his beloved grandmother Laura (Jeanne Moreau, as exciting an actress as ever!) who shares her philosophy of living and dying and bonds even more closely with the grandson who mirrors her own life. Her sage wisdom is what grounds Romain.

Romain, alone, travels about France, meets a sweet couple in a cafe - Jany (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and her husband Bruno (Walter Pagano) who are unable to have children - and after consideration Romain consents to comply with their request to impregnate Jany but only if Bruno is part of a ménage a trois in the process. The couple discovers Romain is dying after Jany becomes pregnant and Romain for the first time is able to show tenderness in his relationship with them. Somewhat changed in outlook Romain returns home, has a tender talk with his father who accepts his son's sexuality, attempts a reconciliation with Sasha unsuccessfully, and even responds to a letter from Sophie. His missions completed he travels to the ocean where the film ends in one of the most beautifully subtle, tender and genuinely realistic ways.

In every way this film is satisfying. The actors are to the person excellent with Melvil Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi particularly outstanding. But the kudos go to writer/director Ozon who once again proves that his enthusiasm for his field of art is boundless. He is one of the more important figures in cinema today. A brilliant, quiet, immensely satisfying film. Grady Harp, November 06