Le Temps qui reste (2005)
Directed by François Ozon

Film Review

Death is a subject that is seldom treated with the reverence and seriousness that it deserves in cinema.  In this thoughtful meditation on mortality, director François Ozon skilfully avoids clichés and trite sentimentality and gives us a film, which, despite being rigorously understated and straightforward, is profoundly moving.  The tone and composition of the film show a far more sophisticated and mature director than the enfant terrible who brought us the raunchy black comedy Sitcom a decade before.

Significantly, Le Temps qui reste is Ozon's first film in Cinemascope (a choice which, the director claims, was determined by the proportions of a man lying stretched out on a beach, one of the key images of the film).  It's an unusual choice given the intimate nature of the subject and perhaps some sequences do not work as well as they might.  However, the widescreen format does allow the film to include some breathtaking panoramic shots, most notably the achingly beautiful beach sequence at the end of the film.

One area where François Ozon cannot be faulted is his choice of cast.  In arguably his best, most intense performance to date, Melvil Poupaud brings an unnerving sense of realism and humanity to his portrayal of Romain - a very complex character who, whilst not particularly likeable at first, ultimately arouses our compassion.  (Interestingly, Poupaud had previously turned down a part in Ozon's earlier film, Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes, 1999).   Jeanne Moreau, an icon of French cinema, is also noteworthy as Romain's dying grandmother, her scenes with Poupaud being particularly raw in their poignancy.   Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, the star of Ozon's previous film 5x2, makes a small but pleasing contribution, and Daniel Duval is surprisingly engaging as Romain's father.

What sets Le Temps qui reste apart from the numerous other films about terminal illness is its self-restraint and lack of surface emotion.  It would have been easy for Ozon to have made this a real tear-jerker.  He could have framed the central character a sympathetic hero with a loving entourage who would shed buckets in learning of his condition.  But this has been done before - ad nauseum - and Ozon sensibly chooses a different path.  The film focuses exclusively on the character who is dying and merely shows us how he comes to accept his mortality.  Consequently, it's a far more intimate, poignant and adult film than it otherwise might have been.  It probably won't make you cry, but you will be touched by what you see.

Film Synopsis

Romain is young and handsome; he has a successful career as a fashion photographer; and, at age 30, he has everything to live for.  Then he learns he will soon die.  A medical examination reveals that he has a malignant tumour and he has only the slimmest of chances of surviving if he agrees to a course of chemotherapy.  Romain's decision to turn down the treatment is swift.  Yet he must somehow come to terms with the fact that he has only a short time left to live.  He is unable to break the news to his parents, his sister, even his boyfriend - these relationships have already hit the rocks.  The only person he can turn to is his grandmother, who is also dying.  He takes comfort from her words and begins to accept what is to come.  At a roadside café, a waitress makes him a proposition that could finally bring some sense to his life...