(Spoilers) This meditation on a suicide left me somewhat unsatisfied. It is the story of Grégoire Canvel, a successful French movie producer, and his family. The first part of the movie introduces us to the Canvel family: Grégoire, his wife, and three attractive young daughters. There are scenes that illustrate the great affection that exists among all members of this family, like Grégoire playfully searching for his youngest daughter who is hiding under the covers in her bed.
We are led to believe that Grégoire is a typical, harried businessman who spends most of his life on his cell phone. However, as the movie progresses it is seen that Grégoire's company is in some serious financial trouble and his business is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hints are dropped that Grégoire himself may be in some deep emotional waters. All of this is well and good and I waited to find out the resolution to this unfortunate situation, but I was not prepared for Grégoire's abrupt suicide about half way through the movie. Indeed his suicide is mystifying since Grégoire's family life is so positive. I wanted more details on the motivation for the suicide--could it have simply been the financial problems as implied? That seems too simple an explanation. Grégoire is seen burning some documents before ending his life; what were those? Why was the audience denied knowing this, since that could have helped in understanding the suicide. Grégoire mentioned that as a last resort he could tap into his wife's monies. He never acted on that. Why was that? Was it even a possibility?
The second half of the movie details the family's reaction to Grégoire's fatal act. This part of the movie plays out in a believably realistic way. Grégoire's wife Sylvia tries to finish up the projects that her husband had underway at the time of his death. If she had substantial financial reserves, she did not use those to accomplish her goals. Each of the three girls copes in her own way--life goes on.
In the end I felt like a voyeur dropping on in this family's tragedy and I had to question the value of the movie. It was not a warning to pay closer attention to the emotional state of others, since I think that there was no way that Sylvia could have guessed the gravity of Grégoire's mental state. Maybe an admonition that people should be more forthcoming in communicating what they are thinking? On average in France there are three male suicides for every female suicide. Does this movie help in understanding that statistic?
The movie is well filmed and the actors are in good form. As a bonus there is a small travelogue of Parisian scenes as Grégoire drives around Paris. But I was left wanting more.
We are led to believe that Grégoire is a typical, harried businessman who spends most of his life on his cell phone. However, as the movie progresses it is seen that Grégoire's company is in some serious financial trouble and his business is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hints are dropped that Grégoire himself may be in some deep emotional waters. All of this is well and good and I waited to find out the resolution to this unfortunate situation, but I was not prepared for Grégoire's abrupt suicide about half way through the movie. Indeed his suicide is mystifying since Grégoire's family life is so positive. I wanted more details on the motivation for the suicide--could it have simply been the financial problems as implied? That seems too simple an explanation. Grégoire is seen burning some documents before ending his life; what were those? Why was the audience denied knowing this, since that could have helped in understanding the suicide. Grégoire mentioned that as a last resort he could tap into his wife's monies. He never acted on that. Why was that? Was it even a possibility?
The second half of the movie details the family's reaction to Grégoire's fatal act. This part of the movie plays out in a believably realistic way. Grégoire's wife Sylvia tries to finish up the projects that her husband had underway at the time of his death. If she had substantial financial reserves, she did not use those to accomplish her goals. Each of the three girls copes in her own way--life goes on.
In the end I felt like a voyeur dropping on in this family's tragedy and I had to question the value of the movie. It was not a warning to pay closer attention to the emotional state of others, since I think that there was no way that Sylvia could have guessed the gravity of Grégoire's mental state. Maybe an admonition that people should be more forthcoming in communicating what they are thinking? On average in France there are three male suicides for every female suicide. Does this movie help in understanding that statistic?
The movie is well filmed and the actors are in good form. As a bonus there is a small travelogue of Parisian scenes as Grégoire drives around Paris. But I was left wanting more.