The French intelligence service alerts the U.S. about a Soviet spy operation during the height of the Cold War, which sets off an unfortunate chain of events.
Director:
Christian Carion
From metacritic.com
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Title: Farewell (2009)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Guillaume Canet | ... | Pierre | |
| Emir Kusturica | ... | Grigoriev | |
| Alexandra Maria Lara | ... | Jessica | |
| Ingeborga Dapkunaite | ... | Natasha | |
| Philippe Magnan | ... | Mitterrand | |
| Aleksey Gorbunov | ... | Choukhov (as Oleksii Gorbunov) | |
| Dina Korzun | ... | Alina | |
| Niels Arestrup | ... | Vallier | |
| David Soul | ... | Hutton | |
| Fred Ward | ... | Reagan | |
| Willem Dafoe | ... | Feeney | |
 |
Marc Berman | ... | Jacques |
|
|
Christian Carion | ... | Favier |
|
|
Evgeniy Kharlanov | ... | Igor (as Yevgeni Kharlanov) |
|
|
Lauriane Riquet | ... | Ophelie |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
In 1985, Sergei Gregoriev, a Soviet colonel, wants to force his nation to reform, so he leaks secret information to the West. He picks an unlikely contact, a Pierre Froment, French nebbish in the diplomatic corps. Gregoriev keeps a lot of balls in the air - a marriage, a teen son he's trying to bond with, a mistress who's a colleague at work; his tradecraft is equally reckless. Meanwhile, Froment keeps his spy work secret from his German wife, and Mitterrand uses Gregoriev's information to make France indispensable to Reagan and his government. When Gregoriev leaks a list of key Soviet moles and spies, Gorbachev is left without secret intelligence. Will Gregoriev get what he wants? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Taglines:
Secrets have the power to change the course of history. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
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Details
Country:
FranceRelease Date:
23 September 2009 (France) See more »Also Known As:
Farewell See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
€17,500,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The acronym "DST" stands for "Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire" and translates into the English language as the French Directorate of Territorial Surveillance. See more »Goofs
The helicopter in the end of the movie is marked US Army, but it clearly shows a Swedish aircraft registration. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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FAREWELL is an elegant depiction of Cold War espionage based on true events that proved catalytic to the demise of the Soviet Union. Pierre Froment (Guillame Canet), a French businessman who is 'above suspicion' due to his amateur status, is compelled to deliver high level intelligence from reckless, disillusioned KGB veteran Sergei Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica) to Reagan's cabinet via François Mitterrand, thereby crippling Soviet intelligence.
Whilst Froment and Grigoriev convincingly resemble weary bureaucrats, scenes in the White House lack credibility - perhaps an attempt at satire by Carion, they are nevertheless rendered redundant by the sombre refinement of the film. Cultural boundaries between East and West deliver brief comic reprieve, and signal the imminent disintegration of an already stagnant regime.
Suffused with nostalgia, we observe Brezhnev-era Moscow cast in the lurid yellow light of street-lamps, or bleached white by lens flare, with an effortless attention to detail - Muscovites stand in endless queues on street corners as Soviet vehicles roam empty boulevards flanked by Socialist realist statues. Subterranean scenes add a noir aesthetic, reflecting the shades of deception throughout - in the words of Grigoriev; "I live in lies and solitude".
Kusturica gives a shatteringly affecting performance, conveying Grigoriev's wistful patriotism and hope for his son's future with a rare eloquence. Carion creates real suspense and accommodates subtle plot twists, but there are no cheap thrills here- the film defies the brash conventions of its genre. Understated, fluid camera-work and dedicated performances deliver a film of classic style and depth. 5 out of 5
Cambridge Film Festival Daily