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July 2006 TIME TO LEAVE

(July: Main Page * Features * Reviews * Screenings * Teen ) Cur * Archive

By Wilson Morales TIME TO LEAVE Distributor: Strand Releasing Director: Francois Ozon Producers: Olivier Delbosc & Marc Missonnier Screenwriter: Francois Ozon Composer: Valentin Slivestrov Cast: Melvin Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Daniel Duval, Marie Riviere, & Christian Sengewald Language: In French with English subtitles Running Time: 80 min

Most American films tend to leave you with a happy ending whether it’s a romantic film and the couple gets together at the end or even if it’s a horror or thriller and the killer is caught. Either way, there’s a conclusion to satisfy the paying customer without having a second thought. It’s not really a slice of life, but the “American” dream. Foreign films tend to you more depth, and more realism in their stories, and at the end, you get an ending that may either satisfy you because you could understand the situation or you leave frustrated because you don’t want to have questions as to the outcome and you do. French films tend to leave you hanging because they simply end naturally, for better or for worse. Francois Ozon’s films tend to do that, but his films are thought-provoking and interesting, dating back to some of his earlier works such as “See the Sea” and “Sitcom”. His latest film, ‘Time to Leave” is perhaps his most realistic film to date. It gives the audience reason to have compassion for the characters and reflect on their own lives. As the star of the film, Melvin Poupaud gives a heart-wrenching credible performance that’s hard to match. Romain (Poupaud) is a handsome gay Parisian photographer who has a fantastic job covering models, and living comfortably with his partner, unless he faints one day on the job and his life is forever altered. Thinking he has AIDS, he’s further shocked when that’s not the reason he collapsed, but that he’s got a terminal cancer with a few months. Embarrassed to tell his family, he shuts them out by insulting them so that they have nothing but contempt for him. His only recourse is go see his grandmother (Moreau), who understands his dilemma as she has little time to live herself. Reflecting on the past, Romain can’t fathom the thought of dying at such a young age. He even shuts his boyfriend out as well. As time goes by, Romain must confronts himself and deal with his situation and loved before the end is near. As part of a trilogy in exploring death, with the first film being “Under The Sand”, Ozon has a way of simply telling the story so that audience can be the unofficial listeners to the character’s dilemma. No one wants to film that may appear morbid, but Ozon delicately examines the character’s plight with dignity and grace. As Romain, Poupaud gives a magnificent performances growing through different layers of emotions as he’s wrestling with his shortened life and how to play it out. As his beauty begins to fade, compassion is at the highest level. In an understated role, Moreau serves as the voice of reason and Bruni-Tedeschi presents a futuristic point of view that brightens the films in a way. While “Time to Leave” doesn’t have the flare that his recent films have had, it presents a raw look at life that one can appreciate without having it be contrived to satisfy the viewer.

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