François Ozon’s powerful drama was adapted from the autobiographical novel of the late Emmanuèle Bernheim, his longtime collaborator. It centers on Emmanuèle (in a fine performance by Sophie Marceau) who, in mid-life, races to her elderly father’s bedside after he has a debilitating stroke, opening up family secrets and wounds. Early in her father’s recovery, Emmanuèle is confronted with a shocking yet sober request: to help him end his life.
Though the father / daughter relationship had been rocky since Emmanuèle’s youth, a time when her father was particularly cruel, Emmanuèle and her sister care for their father, finding hope in his gradual improvements while grappling with the past. Yet, his appeal for assisted suicide stands, and for Emmanuèle, her father’s request is a legal, logistical and of course emotional challenge. Ozon’s adaptation is marked by wit and social realism, elevated by the fine performances of Marceau, André Dussollier, Géraldine Pailhas, and Charlotte Rampling.
Director Biography
One of France’s most acclaimed directors, François Ozon’s films have screened in festivals around the world. He is the director of over 20 features, including Sitcom (1998), Under the Sea (2000), 8 Women (2002), Swimming Pool (2003), Double Lover (2017) and Summer of 85 (2020), which appeared at MSPIFF.
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