Farewell (2009) User Reviews

Not much suspense but authentic atmosphere

[Philby-3 · 7/10 · 15 July 2010]

In this film the adage "truth is stranger than fiction" is well demonstrated. The real story of Vladimir Vetrov, the KBG Colonel who leaked vital details of the Soviet spy network to the West in the early 1980's is even more bizarre that the story related here, where Colonel Sergei Gregoriev (Emir Kursturica) uses a French electronics engineer Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet), resident in Moscow, to pass secrets to the French domestic intelligence agency, the DST, and on to the CIA. Sergei ruled out using the DSGT, the French external intelligence service because he was aware it had been penetrated by the KGB. As it is the story here is a little lacking in tension despite the larger than life Sergei becoming more and more reckless as the story progresses .Some of the minor parts are pure vaudeville, Fred Ward's Ronald Reagan for example. However the two principals Kursturica and Canet, both prominent film directors, completely contrasting personalities, are very convincing. The 80's cold war atmosphere is well re-created – even the credits are vaguely menacing.

As in several recent spy stories "based on real events" the viewer is left with the impression that the West and Soviets had so thoroughly penetrated each other's security defences that they might as well have monthly meetings to hand over each other's secrets. This story does suggest that the Soviet Union was not able to keep up with Western technology, particularly in computing, and in resorting to stealing software the Soviets sowed the seeds of their downfall. In one instance the West was able to feed the Soviets with enough crook software to cripple their gas pipelines and cause a truly big explosion (without injuring a single person, apparently).

We do get considerable insight into what motivated Sergei, if not Vetrov (who seems to have been a less admirable character). Sergei is s true believer in communism, but he also fiercely loves his son, whom he wants to inherit something worthwhile. In a way the movie is as much about a parent sacrificing themselves for the sake of their child than the old spy versus spy routine. Froment is a less interesting character, but something inside him keeps him involved with the egregious Sergei despite his own misgivings and that of his wife Jessica (a refugee from East Germany with good reason to be afraid). Perhaps it's the opportunity for an otherwise unremarkable person to do something important. Or maybe he just finds it hard to say "non" to a person as charismatic as Sergei.

This film is not an "edge of your seat" suspense thriller but it tells an absorbing story, and is a useful reminder of the spy paranoia that prospered during the cold war.

A very good movie

[khimik · 7/10 · 17 May 2010]

I watched this movie for the first time on board a transatlantic Air France flight. It impressed me so much that I watched it for the second time on my way back, and was not disappointed. This is a very good movie, but not for the American audience. I do not understand most of their movies either, big deal. It is unlikely it will be released there anyway.

I was born in the former Soviet Union and I am about the same age as colonel Grigoriev's son. This film captures very well the atmosphere of those days, including Grigoriev's state of mind and motives, however idealistic they may seem now. When I saw that this was a French movie about Soviet times, I was prepared to switch off immediately after the first matreshka dance. There are so many Western movies about Russia/Soviet Union that feel just outright false. This is not one, mostly, I think, thanks to Emir Kusturica, who deserves great credit for the role of Grigoriev. There are minor blunders, of course, such as bearded embassy residence guards (beards were not tolerated in Soviet military and police). However, they do not change the fact that this is one of the best films I have watched in recent times. It is very French in the best traditions of the French cinema, and it is a bit Russian thanks to rich emotional undertones, which reminded me about another great French-Russian production, Est-Ouest. Very nice bits of humour like President Reagan watching twice the same episode from an old movie, reminded me some episodes from another French movie, 18 ans après. And a very sad but true final, when Grigoriev, a Russian idealist and a francophile without a Swiss bank account, gets shot by the firing squad, while his KGB superior and a longtime US mole (who does have a Swiss bank account) gets new life in the West after sending Grigoriev to death. If you know what I talk about, go watch this film, you will not be disappointed. If not, enjoy your Police Academy.

Spy film about a French engineer and a high-ranking KGB spy , who decided to covertly release valuable information to France and NATO

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 6 August 2012]

Exciting film that was adapted from the book Bonjour Farewell: La Vérité Sur la Taupe Française KGB (1997) by Serguei Kostine with screenplay by the same director Christian Carion and Eric Raynaud . It deals with a naïve French engineer based in Moscow and a KGB analyst, Sergei Grigoriev, on the Soviet Union's clandestine program aimed at stealing technology from the West and disillusioned with the Soviet regime . He was assigned the code-name Farewell by the French intelligence service DST, which recruited him and delivering documents to a French nebbish in the diplomatic corps . He was known by that name throughout NATO's intelligence services. 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.

This interesting movie set during the Cold War packs suspense , thrills , tension, intrigue and familiar drama . The picture is an espionage thriller loosely based on actions of the high-ranking KGB official, Vladimir Vetrov . Good performances from main cast as Guillaume Canet as Pierre Froment ,Emir Kusturica as Sergei Gregoriev , Alexandra Maria Lara as Jessica Froment ; furthermore an excellent support cast as Fred Ward as Ronald Reagan , Niels Arestrup as Vallier , Willem Dafoe as Feeney , David Soul as Hutton and many cameos as Diane Kruger as Femme jogging , Benno Fürmann and Gary Lewis. Thrilling as well as sensitive musical score by Clint Mansell. Evocative and colorful cinematography by Walther van den Ende. The flick was well directed by Christian Carion who formerly made two good films such as ¨Happy Christmas¨ and ¨The girl from Paris¨ .

The motion picture was well based on real events , these are the following : Vladimir Vetrov , in the film nicknamed Gregoriev , was born in 1932 and grew up within the Soviet system. After college, where he studied electronic engineering, he was enlisted in the KGB. He lived in France for five years, beginning in 1965 when posted there as a Line X officer working for the KGB's 'Directorate T', which specialized in obtaining advanced information about science and technology from western countries. While there, he befriended Jacques Prévost, an engineer working with Thomson-CSF. Vetrov returned to Moscow at the end of his posting. There, he rose through the ranks of Directorate T, eventually supervising the evaluation of the intelligence collected by Line X agents around the world, and passing key information to the relevant users inside the Soviet Union. Having become increasingly disillusioned with the Communist system, he decided to defect for purely ideological reasons . At the end of 1980, he contacted a Prévost and offered his services to the West. Between the spring of 1981 and early 1982, Vetrov gave the DST almost 4,000 secret documents, including the complete official list of 250 Line X officers stationed under legal cover in embassies around the world. Included was a breakdown of the Soviet espionage effort to collect scientific, industrial and technical information from the West to improve its own efforts. Members of the GRU, the Soviet Academy of Sciences, and several other bodies all took part in such efforts. Vetrov also provided summaries on the goals, achievements, and unfilled objectives of the program. He identified nearly 100 leads to sources in 16 countries. In February 1982, after heavy drinking caused by a cooling-off period imposed by the French, who were fearful of his discovery through too much contact, Vetrov stabbed his mistress during an argument in his car . When a man knocked on the car window, Vetrov thought his spying had been discovered, so he stabbed and killed the man. He happened to be another KGB officer. Vetrov was arrested, tried, and sentenced to 12 years in jail in the fall of 1982. While in jail, Vetrov carelessly revealed in letters that he had been involved in "something big" before going to jail. The KGB eventually discovered that he was a double agent. As part of his confession, Vetrov wrote a blistering denunciation of the Soviet system, "The Confession of a Traitor". News of his subsequent execution reached France in March 1985. The information which Vetrov provided enabled the western countries to expel nearly 150 Soviet technology spies around the world; the French expelled 47 Soviet spies, most of whom were from Line X. This caused the collapse of the Soviet's information program at a time when it was particularly crucial. The U.S. created a massive operation to provide the Soviets with faulty data and sabotaged parts for certain technologies, as a consequence to the Farewell Dossier.

Super understated slow boiler (Spy Game Plus)

[horaceb · 5 May 2011]

Farewell is a spy drama set in Moscow/Russia in the early 1980's. It stars Guillaume Canet and Emir Custarica, both noted directors in their own rights.It is based on real events with the basic story correct though the nature of the two leading characters and a few events are somewhat changed or omitted.

The plot centres around the leaking of Russian intelligence to the French government. Sergei (Canet) works for the Russian secret service but has been recruited by (or volunteered to) the French government to pass intelligence data from his office. Sergei is doing this for purely moral reasons arguing that it will one day bring the system down and give his son a better future. His contact is a French engineer working in Moscow, Pierre, coerced in to helping by the French government and operating as Sergei's dropping point. The story develops around the personal relationship between Sergei and Pierre and also that of their families. Sergei is confident and casual but ultimately a little careless. While Pierre becomes paranoid and with his young family in tow begins to feel the stress.

The data turns out to industrial espionage on everything from the Space Shuttle to the US defence strategy and even secret communication codes. When the American are shown the information by the French (in a neat piece of one-upmanship) it is only a matter of time before action has to be taken and lives are in danger.

The pace is slow and constant and never flat. Tantalisingly delicate, a very light brush from the director allows the actors to communicate in manner rarely seen in Hollywood films. Similar with the cinematography which is used sparingly and always to accentuate the story. Watch out for the early scene where they first meet which simply says 'spies'. Then the scenes of northern Russia in winter.

This is a very smart film with excellent understated performances from all the cast. Watch out for several more famous actors in cameo and small roles. Fred Ward playing Ronald Reagan looks positively weird though they get away with it.

If you arrived here before viewing be sure, it is well worth watching. Spy Game plus.

Taut and well made spy period thriller; a mood piece negotiating a large web of complications in an astute fashion.

[johnnyboyz · 7/10 · 6 November 2011]

Farewell is the wrought piece of espionage spy fiction you didn't really expect to be as good as it is; as is often the case, films and film-makers take it upon themselves to entrust that elements of espionage and distrust between superpowers, or people therein epitomising superpowers, should make for crash-bang, explosive viewing involving very little narrative; very little character and a whole lot of wooden spectacle. It is with open arms then, that we welcome in Christian Carion's 2011 film Farewell; the anti-thesis to Mission Impossible: II or a badly drawn Bond film of the post-Dalton era. The film is one of its ilk that happens to have both a soul and a brain; these characters are people involved in international espionage and some rather dangerous stuff, but they are people involved in such things whilst doing their utmost to maintain families; they are people involved in what they're in, of whom enjoy playing tennis and reading poetry and listening to Queen – they are human beings; they can be overweight; they can wear glasses; they can relax by watching a Western, they are not stock action heroes of a ridiculously photogenic nature; they are not James Bonds darting around in sports cars out-peddling a space orientated laser beam.

The scene epitomising how Farewell really is different to most others of its ilk arrives with a snappy sequence set on a park bench between two people; as might be considered standard with any film of this ilk, we witness such a sequence that is often the first thing people think of when certain genre buzz words are mentioned. Here, the already seated man witnesses another slump down next to him so that they may continue their business – business which would result in serious ramifications should either of them be caught. Instead of cutting to the chase and prolonging causality, the new arrival first mutters about how he hates the fact he is having an affair with someone away from his marriage; that his son knows all about it and, he feels, hates him as a result. Such is the film's nature to take something familiar to the genre, or something with which we will identify, and spin it around to encompass character; to encompass problems away from what would usually be the sole and lone body of content; to take an instance as stereotypical as two blokes meeting on a park bench and incorporate some sort of air of both naturality and substance to proceedings.

The sense that we're being treated like adults begins with the opening sequence, a procession of found footage depicting numerous things Cold-war orientated ranging from shots taken from the fronts of the Vietnam War to numerous technological advancements of the 1970s alluding to the Space Race. All of it is Cold-War orientated and it arrives without voice-overs informing us of what's what and why we're seeing what we're seeing; there is no brief expositional history lesson. Guillaume Canet pays Pierre Froment, an engineer living in Russia with his family of wife and young daughter; the man observes a television set displaying a McEnroe-Borg tennis match, this sense of there being a fondness for that of duelling; a fondness of keeping up with how two super-powers in a respective field are getting along in their long, intense rivalry prominent.

The film is a double-stranded piece, a piece flicking between two men occupying Moscow in the early 1980s doing their utmost to transfer information from secretive sources onto the Americans, and that of the American president of the time in Ronald Reagan (Ward), no less, who dishes it out to his international colleagues, particularly that of then-French Socialist President François Mitterrand (Magnan), when he isn't confining with his own. Pierre's friend is Emir Kusturica's large, life-weary Soviet native to their surroundings Sergei Gregoriev; a man with his own wife and son with whom he does not get along. Sergei uses Pierre as a half-way house in his delivering of top-secret Soviet intelligence which eventually make their way through to the upper-echelons of The White House, a premise spun out by director Carion to really good effect as we delve into this world of lies and power-play.

In spite of the two strands and the array of characters, ranging from this lowly Frenchman to the President of the United States himself, it is Pierre's film; a man caught up in this mucky pool of grime and maltrust and having it go on to affect his home life and general well-being. In a subway fairly early on, it is established how efficient and how clinical the police state work; their picking up of an unknown woman after the insinuation Pierre is in trouble reiterates what he is up against - the verbal establishment beforehand of Pierre's inexperience within this field follows that of Sergei's infiltrating of the backseat to his car with enough ease to fool Pierre as to his even being there. In this regard, the tension is often palpable; if for the fact we often fear Pierre's capture, something that would not stop the film from carrying on with one of its other equilibriums but as to whether his actions will destroy his exemplary home situation and those he holds dear to him. Farewell is the spy thriller peering in at the private lives of these people; the primary stuff about passing on information and keeping informants secret acting as a mere premise to fascinating accounts of how these people exist with themselves; with their families and with one another, the bulk of it making for really good value – you could sure do worse for a thriller.

Spy Film Without Action Heroes

[Eumenides_0 · 7/10 · 16 August 2010]

Farewell is a movie in the grand tradition of European political filmmaking and Christian Carion is a noble successor of directors like Costa-Gavras, Elio Petri and Gillo Pontecorvo. His previous movie, Merry Christmas, brought humanity to the trenches of World War I and exposed the absurdity and hypocrisy of war. Farewell brings to life a forgotten episode of Cold War politics and espionage. Like in many political movies, Carion and his screenwriter, Eric Raynaud, start from facts. In this case they adapted Serguei Kostine's book Bonjour Farewell, about the real-life spy Vlamidir Vetrov, but most of the details were changed for dramatic effect.

So we follow Sergei Gregoriev (Emir Kusturica), a high-ranking Soviet official with access to critical information, who starts passing confidential documents to the French secret services, the DTS, with the noble intention of causing a rupture in the Soviet regime. Sergei, codenamed Farewell (so the Russians will think he's working for the Americans and not the French), was once a sympathizer but now believes that the revolution has been betrayed and that Russia needs change.

Working as a courier between Sergei and the DTS is Pierre (Guillaume Canet), a French engineer working and living in Moscow with his wife, Jessica (Alexandra Maria Lara), and two children. Pierre is chosen because he's basically a nobody: he keeps a low profile; the KGB barely know he exists; his record would be clean were it not for the fact that he's married to a woman from West Germany. As Jessica aptly puts it, he's no James Bond. That's why he's ideal for the role.

As the documents that Sergei leaks grow in importance, the President Mitterrand (Philippe Magnan) informs President Reagan (Fred Ward in a short but good role) of a list of Russian spies working in the USA, and the CIA gets involved. As arrests are made and countermeasures implemented, the Soviets realize there's a traitor amongst them. Unbeknownst to Sergei and Pierre, a circle starts closing around them. Of course in a story where the players in the extremities are Reagan, Mitterrand and Gorbachev, it's the little people in the centre who'll get screwed.

Farewell, in spite of very tense moments, could be a more exciting movie. Espionage, real espionage, is a dull, slow-moving, unphotogenic activity. It's basically just people taking photos of confidential documents, meeting at parks and subway stations, and maintaining deception for as long as possible, probably knowing, deep down in their minds, that sooner or later they'll get caught.

So why watch this movie? For many reasons, the least of which is its insight into an era that may seem remote but that still shapes the world we live in. The Soviet Union ended less than twenty years ago and Carion's camera captures its everyday life very well: the queues for foods and supplies; the silent discontent; the monumental architecture and historical statues; the arbitrariness of power; the omnipresence of a tight network of surveillance and repression.

Another reason, far more interesting, is the pleasure of watching Emir Kusturica's amazing performance. Who knew the director of Underground worked so well in front of a camera as behind one? He plays a difficult role because Sergei isn't an ideal hero. Although selfless in his work for the French – he refuses pay for his services -, although he works in behalf of his son, so that he may grow up in a better Russia, Sergei's personal life is self destructive. Engaged in an affair, he drifts apart from his wife; and for his son he's just a symbol of the authority that bans Queens music and other decadent Western culture. How easy it'd be if Sergei could just open himself up to him! But he can't for their safety, and Kusturica perfectly plays this man burdened with secrets, loving but unloved, with a melancholy and gravitas that never abandon his face even in rare moments of happiness.

A final reason is the chemistry between Canet and Kusturica. The friendship and loyalty that grows between their characters constitutes the emotional core of the film. From their first meeting, inside a darkened car, it doesn't seem they'll get along. Sergei, aware of the importance of his work, initially feels slighted for working with an amateur. But they're similar souls. Pierre is a foreigner and Sergei, a Francophile, feels like a foreigner too. Pierre becomes his access to contraband – music, poetry, champagne. And for Sergei, who realizes the risks of treason, Pierre and his family become his responsibility.

The narrative can be messy at times, even elliptical. Bits seem to be missing that could give more substance and clarity to the web of intrigue the secret agencies create to outsmart each other, and the movie could have explored further the moral consequences of the indifference the secret agencies show to the well-being of their agents. But the good performances just throw a blanket over these minor nuisances.

Spoken in French, Russian and English, the movie also has performances by the always reliable Willem Dafoe and Niels Arestrup (remember César from A Prophet?), and even an unexpected cameo by Diane Kruger. A fine example of what international cinema should be, Farewell succeeds thanks to the cast's exceptional talent and the harrowing emotions that run through the narrative up until the inevitable conclusion in this story of, power, trust and oppression.

Unwarranted Billing: Possible Spoilers

[[e-mail] · 7/10 · 31 July 2011]

It says something about film marketing that the makers of this nice little film felt it necessary to give featured billing to Willem Dafoe and Diane Kruger, who might be recognizable to American film goers but are certainly not the film's stars. Kruger appears on screen briefly, while Dafoe has a minor and totally unnecessary role. The real stars are Emir Kusturica as Gregoriev, a high ranking Russian intelligence agent who is determined to expose his country's spy network in an effort to bring down the Brezhnev regime, and Guilliaume Canet as a young French businessman serving as Gregoriev's unwilling courier. Credit must also go to Alexandra Maria Lara, the French businessman's beautiful young wife who fears for her family's safety and cannot get a truthful word out of her husband. Kusturica is excellent, Canet is competent and Lara is very good. This is "based on a true story," a phrase that always leaves me wondering where fact expires and invention begins. But it is very well done. The Russian is caught and the young French couple escape by driving from Moscow to the Finnish border in a snow storm. Of some interest are the actors playing Ronald Reagan, Francois Mitterrand and Gorbachev, each of whom figures prominently in the story. They're a pretty stiff bunch.

A Brilliant Though Densely Dark Film: A Study of the Cold War

[gradyharp · 10/10 · 20 April 2011]

Serguei Kostine's book 'Bonjour Farewell' serves as the source of the historical moments of one of the most important fractures in the Cold War in 1981 - the act of valor of Sergei Gregoriev - and the script for this very important and controversial film was written by Eric Reynaud and Christian Carion who also directed this stunning film (he is best remembered for his brilliant 'Joyeux Noël' which incidentally starred many of the actors in this film). It is a disturbing movie to watch, a film that was condemned by the Russian government, disallowing filming in Moscow - except for some undercover camera work for an apparent Coca-Cola commercial, and refusing to allow Russian actors to take part in the project. It reveals the brutality of the Communist regime of the time, a period Russia would prefer to remain occult

The story is somewhat convoluted, a fact that makes it even more revealing of the nature of espionage work at the time. Sergei Gregoriev (Emir Kusturica) passes secret documents to French spy Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet) living in Moscow with his wife (Alexandra Maria Lara), documents so important that Froment must take extraordinary risks to pass them to the US Government. In the US President Reagan (Fred Ward) must balance the importance of these documents with the balance of relationships with the French government under François Mitterrand (Philippe Magnan) it is a tense struggle for power and at the crux of it is Froment and the ultimately captured Gregoriev who is tortured to reveal his French espionage contact. The rush to finish at the end of the film is breathtaking and heartbreaking. There is a conversation between Froment and the US Feeney (Willem Dafoe) that places the soul of the Cold War years in perspective.

Every aspect of this film is involving - the acting is first rate from everyone involved, the pacing is in the fashion edge of the seat direction, and the sharing of the innermost secrets of espionage is information we all should study. A reenactment of the Reagan/Gorbachev era as well defined as any film has dared to show us. Not only is this excellent filmmaking, but it is also information about a man's (Sergei Gregoriev) sacrifice that deserve honor.

Grady Harp

Reasonably well made. Lacks some finish.

[jr-832-233403 · 7/10 · 31 January 2015]

I had some previous knowledge of the Farewell-affair, so i came in knowing pretty much what to expect. On the whole they seemed to pull it off pretty well. The one thing that did grate me though were the scenes with Ronald Reagan in them. The acting and dialogue in those are way under par for the movie and seriously impacted my enjoyment of the rest of it.

But yeah. If you want the reverse Snowden then this is the movie for you. The pacing is all right. It is not horribly complicated, as far as spy thrillers go.

A tense dropoff here, an escape here, some exposition of character motivation, some family drama, a whiff of secrecy and an outcome which is never in doubt.

"Farewell"

[cambridgefilmfest · 9/10 · 28 September 2010]

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

Spy movie with a real world sense

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 2 August 2014]

It's 1981 in Moscow. Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet) is low level French diplomat who meets Soviet colonel Sergei Gregoriev (Emir Kusturica). Sergei is dismissive of the young diplomat at first. He has a rebellious son at home. He wants to change the world, change the USSR, and sees himself as a patriot. He has an affair with a colleague. Mitterrand keeps the information closely guarded using the information as currency with American president Reagan. Sergei is given the code name 'Farewell'.

Based on a book, this has the sound of truth and that's what so compelling. It's not a Bond movie or even a gritty convoluted spy thriller. The meetings are so mundane and so easy. It's not a movie high in tension except for the ending. This is a spy movie with the feel of the real world. It's about a flawed human being but he's never inhuman. There are many changes to the real story. All I know is that it has a sense of the real world.

I loved it & so did everyone in my film group!

[dorothyjdavis · 10/10 · 19 May 2010]

My film group and I saw "Farewell" at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Lincoln Center in New York. We all loved it. I do hope it will have a commercial release soon so more people can see it. The acting was superb, the screenplay riveting. We did not know the story so we were kept on the edges of our seats. I gained a lot of insights into what was going on in the cold war and emerged with a very different take on what had happened and increased appreciation for the leaders of France and the U. S. and appreciation for the brave Russian agent and what he did for the world. I am looking forward to reading the book on which the film was based. The opening and closing were so beautiful and meaningful -- the meaning only grasped at the end. I will never forget them.

Good if talky spy film

[Andy-296 · 7/10 · 29 April 2011]

A good if a bit talky spy thriller from France that fictionalizes the real case of Vladimir Vetrov, a high ranking spy from the KGB who in the early 1980s and under the code name Farewell gave to the DST, the French internal security service, a massive dossier of files that showed how the Soviets were stealing massively Western technology. The French decided to pass the files to the United States, a convenient thing to do since the Reagan Administration was very suspicious of president François Mitterrand having several communist ministers in his cabinet (Fred Ward has a funny cameo in the movie as Ronald Reagan; Willem Dafoe appears as the CIA director).

In the movie Vetrov is called Grigoriev and is played by the famous Serbian director Emir Kusturica. For dramatic reasons, the importance of these files is exaggerated in the movie; they are said to include all sort of things, even diplomatic codes which they did not and the dossier is somehow connected with the decision to announce the Star Wars weapons program. In the film, and since embassy personnel was under surveillance from the KGB, the DST decides to use as a contact with Grigoriev a French engineer working in Moscow for the Thomson firm (who is played by Guillaume Canet as a nervous Woody Allen type guy; Alexandra Maria Lara plays his wife who is obviously shocked when she learns her nerdy husband moonlights as a spy).

Directed by Christian Carion, who made the very good World War I drama Joyeux Noel the film is especially fine in the reconstruction of the early 1980s and especially the Soviet Union at the time (Moscow is shown here as surprisingly sunny; if a movie based on this case have been made during the Cold War, Moscow would have looked surely much more gloomy and sinister). A good effort.

A bland spy story

[Chris Knipp · 5/10 · 2 March 2010]

Farewell (or L'affaire Farewell) is a middling spy story based on true events. That isn't always quite enough. The events are, so we're told, very important. During the early days of the Reagan administration a KGB officer called Sergei Gregoriev (Emir Kusturica), who was thoroughly disappointed in Russian communism as administered by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, took it upon himself to reveal extensive secrets about both the Soviet spy networks and the western secrets they had gathered, particularly about the Russians' big Cold War enemy, the USA. Because he had spent several happy years in Paris, he chose as his conduit for these revelations a young French engineer living in Moscow, one Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet).

If only John Le Carré had had a hand in the telling of this story, though it's hard to see what even he could have done with events that, however momentous in theory, in practice were so banal. Neither Gregoriev nor Froment has any personal secrets worth delving into. Both have trouble with their wives. Froment's has an inkling that he's doing something dangerous of a cloak-and-dagger sort and nags him about it. Canet is a decent-looking young man with a beard; the self-consciously "period" over-large glasses look good on him, but he's about as distinctive as last year's GQ model. As for Gregoriev, he's got a lukewarm relationship with a gauche mistress. The most exciting thing that happens is that she worms her way into his apartment to buy something just so she can snatch a look at how he lives and what his wife and teenage son look like. She grabs a kiss when the wife isn't looking, but the son sees. This gives the son a thoroughly modern teenager's advantage on his dad.

What would Le Carré do with the way the state secrets are passed over? Gregoriev, in what turns out to be a goofy kind of genius, completely ignores espionage methods and simply meets with Froment in his car and gives him big thick files. Reagan gets wind of these revelations, and powers that be, both in France and, reluctantly, on Reagan's side begin to take a keen interest. The Great Communicator, broadly impersonated by Fred Ward (a good joke, for a minute anyway) as a great fan of his own old films -- recognizes that this is an unprecedented flow of information. Reagan is very wary of dealing with a socialist French president (François Mitterand), but he has to hold his nose and cooperate. The intelligence people of both countries get Froment to give Gregoriev a Minox spy camera so he can deliver films instead of wads of paper. Froment leans to be nice to the soldiers assigned to watch him and the dumpy informer who is his wife's housekeeper, and, since he is a person of no interest, nobody is really watching him closely. So Gregoriev's unorthodox and very ordinary method of passing on secrets works. But it isn't interesting. Not much is shown of how Froment passes on to higher ups what he gets from Gregoriev (isn't there any danger?). Neither the slouchy, baggy-eyed Kusturica nor the pert, mildly nice-looking Canet is cool to watch. We have to be content with such mildly amusing tidbits as the fact that in asking for trophies for his son, Gregoriev thinks "Keen" is the name of the famous English rock group, and that the new portable music player is a "Johnny Walkman." Ha ha.

All the scenes of secret-trading are in broad daylight; not even so much as an underground garage. It actually happens in Moscow, and though the cinematography isn't interesting, it does show the Moscow subway system and plenty of Stalinist wedding cake buildings. Did we say the cinematography isn't interesting? Fred Ward's Reagan isn't really broad (or observant) enough, and Willem Dafoe's CIA chief isn't officious or sleazy enough. One winds up wishing neither of them had gotten involved in this lackluster project.

The whole story is one of unrelieved tedium for the first hour of the film, until finally Gregoriev gets captured and Froment realizes he and his family have got to get out of Moscow fast. There's a little tension at the Finland border. Gregoriev's incarceration and torture carry no tension: they're stylized and whited-out instead of dark (never underestimate the value of darkness in spy stories). There's a bit of drama between the battered Gregoriev and his wife and son. Time that might have been spent developing these characters (if they are in fact interesting) is lost with scenes about the pair's French, American, and Russian handlers and brief but unrevealing glimpses of Gregoriev's workplace. A few brief scenes of the great Niels Arestrup as an official of French domestic intelligence gives one a glimpse of some class. If only Kusturica's role had been assigned to someone as fascinating to watch as Arestrup.

The reason why this story isn't so well known is the US authorities did not want to reveal all Russians knew. "Farewell" and Star Wars coincide with the decline of the Soviet empire, but you can hear the air going out of the whole Cold War process, an event that Le Carré has been tackling (with considerable ingenuity and invention) ever since. But Christian Carion, Serguei Kostine whose book Bonjour Farewell was the original source, and Eric Raynaud, who all collaborated on writing this film, aren't qualified to pen the dedication of a John Le Carré novel.

If the idea of major Russian and American secrets being passed to a young Frenchman in the Reagan era under a socialist French president floats your boat this is the movie for you. Just don't expect emotion, sharp dialogue, muscle, suspense, or excitement. Mostly in French but with scenes in English and Russian.

L'affaire Farewell opened in Paris September 23 and received moderately good reviews, with some pretty damning ones. Shown as part of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York in March 2010.

A Mind-Boggling True Story!

[liberalgems · 10/10 · 5 September 2010]

This is a very empowering, true-story about one man, Sergei Gregoriev, who probably did more to bring down the Communist government in Russia - and end the cold war - than any other person who ever lived! This man should be honored by a postage stamp in every Western country in the world and in every high school history textbook! What an incredibly brave human being!

I gained a lot of insights from watching this amazing film. The Russians lost an estimated 26 million people during World War 2. That's 1 in 3 people that died in all of World War 2 did so within the borders of the Soviet Union! I can only imagine the trauma and paranoia that was inflicted on the survivors who later then came to power. It didn't help either that a monster was at the head of government (Stalin) from 1924 to 1953. And, you wonder why the Soviets had a such a mind-boggling intelligence apparatus established throughout the United States? Once this network of spies was dismantled, the Soviet leadership was blind! Out of fear they bankrupted themselves on military spending because they could no longer accurately assess what actual threats the United States posed to them!

Sergei Gregoriev, knew how his government would react to such a threat and he sacrificed everything to make it happen. I don't think he would be happy with the gangster capitalism that took Communism's place. But at least there are no more brutal wars fought in desperately poor countries, which have cost millions of lives because of the Cold War! Future generations will thank you for your sacrifice, Sergei Gregoriev!

A Frenchman helped start this game, another the reviews (Screen)

[leplatypus · 10/10 · 26 September 2009]

A few months ago, I was reading a biography about the French President, François Mitterand and it discussed this Farewell case. As Mitterand had known about this, you can be sure this was a highly top secret file. But I can't remember what really happens so I was very eager to see this movie.

In addition, the cold war time was my childhood and teen years, and as "Watchmen" did earlier, those movies bring now, nostalgia.

Actually, it was an old colleague of mine who thinks to this movie and we left the theater totally pleased. I really like French cinema when it doesn't forget what cinema is, that is to say: pictures moving with sound to tell a story! Usually, French movies are only speeches with no camera moves and silence, always telling about "old" France or failed relationships!

Here, since the beautiful credits, you understand that it will be a great movie and what it's about: CCCP vs. USA. Communism vs. Capitalism. As it's involved spies and moles, this conflict draws on the blood on common, "little" people, not the delusion of "James Bond". It all starts with the courage and bravery of individual people for whom beliefs, truth, justice, liberty are as essential as everything else (familial values, job fame, material life,...). Thus, becoming spy is per se dangerous for one's own life but it threatens all that you can have built in your life, especially family. This danger is depicted with great talent in the movie. Choices are hard and nothing comes easily.

Another aspect of spy life is shown with intelligence: as Mulder would say, "Trust no one": if you are a spy, others can be spy-hunters, thus you get paranoid, suspicious with everyone: the "babushka" (grandmother), the maid, colleagues, the big head of administration. Worst: the golden rule in espionage is that a spy is always alone, thus spies can killed each other without even knowing it. That's the terrible tragedy in this movie…

In addition to spy life, this movie offers also deep thoughts about married life, and parenthood. The big adversary there isn't ideology but time. Kids grown up, love flame can be extinguished. You got to be cautious, even more than for your spy business. The infidelity, cheating times in the movie are funny, because they seem so far away for all this political war and yet, they act the same!

But, to be good, a movie needs, beyond ideas, people and here, every one delivers: I didn't know so far the director, Caron as a director but he deserves to be recognized: He has been able to change scope every time (From White House to bench talking about poetry) and he is imaginative: I really liked the sequences of driving, between "Duel" and De Palma, and the end credits.

I don't know if the locations are indeed Russian but you really got the feel of a socialist republic and the 80's: Walkman, Pink-Floyd, Queen and 8mm movies! My father had the same hobby than Farewell and as his son, my brother and I can be seen running on the wall! A very moving moment for me.

The cast is greatly rich with exceptional guest-stars: I remember Ingeborha Dapkounaite from my Russian period. Willem Dafoe is always a (machiavelic) presence in whatever he does. It's funny to see "Hutch" and the participation from Gorby and Mitterand, because they look very much like the real ones. From my point of view, Reagan is too young and energetic but I agree with his pictorial as a cowboy, past actor because the above-mentioned book about Mitterand says the same. And he was also a funny movie critic: just read the poster of this movie!

Now, for our pair of spies, Canet is a good choice because the part needed a low profile, not big mouth actor, which he is. And Kusturica is truly an "Emir", AMAZING! He shows so much humanity within his gruff exterior.

I really hope that this movie will be attended by big crowds and wins a lot of awards (especially for Emir) because their success would be the long-awaited homage to the real people in this story!

Definitively, a reference in spy movie!

Brilliant

[sergepesic · 10/10 · 11 June 2012]

What a brilliant movie. Spies, lies,twisted mind games. No explosions, no bullets, no exciting background music, no old hat tricks. Inspite of that, or better, because of that, tense, suspenseful and original movie. Real spies are not superheroes, flying through the air, ducking hundreds of bullets, overpowering dozens of villains with their martial arts skills unparalleled in the universe. Most of the time they happen to be, timid or coerced or dedicated to a cause. Their job is not glamorous, they scurry like rats in a dark alley, they sweat and smell,sometimes they live, most of the time they die. Finally the real spy movie, deep and harsh, leaving the sickening feeling. As usual the decent, courageous people get shoved aside or get killed for a higher cause- saving some ambitious creep's ass.

Slow, Slow, Too Slow... even for a historical films fan like me!!!

[ercarvajal · 5/10 · 24 July 2011]

I couldn't convince my friends to keep watching the film with me, and me myself, I ended up watching it just to complete it with no great expectations after the first half.

Historical facts are not such revealing as we would like, sure there are a couple of facts of great impact, but still I was hoping for more.

The acting of the main characters was decent, although Fremont was kind of cheesy; but the acting from the American side, especially Dafoe, was awful, so lame I didn't want to hear their part. Reagan was kind of over-portrayed.

The end was as dull as the rest of the film.

Just because it is an extraordinary story (rea life one) it deserves up to 5 stars.

The Very Moving Emir Kusturica

[film_ophile · 9/10 · 10 July 2010]

We just returned from seeing this film as part of the Annual French Film Festival at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, 7/10/10. In the U.S., we have an expression sometimes used to express one's admiration for a certain talented actor/actress who is riveting to watch on screen.I will use this expression here w/ regards to the lead actor, " I could watch Emir Kusturica read the phone book". It is his performance more than any other single factor, that causes me to think very highly of this film.It is a rare thing to watch a film about a real life hero without seeing a film that is also maudlin, clichéd or too simplistic.

But in "Farewell" I felt that the story was compelling,and the screenplay was well written,economical, completely believable and well acted.There were no unnecessary scenes and the whole thing mostly made sense, as sad as that sense was.The cinematography was crummy, but you can't have everything.Besides,I was so mesmerized by K's performance that I didn't really care that much about the cinematography, because my eyes were always focused in on him.As I exited the theater I felt like I had just been hit by a truck, and I am still feeling this film.

Farewell (2009)

[jtwcosmos · 8/10 · 23 June 2011]

"Keep your money."

This is the story of how the Soviet Union lost the game. It is a story based - loosely - on the real story of the man who gave the French enough information to trigger the end of the Cold War.

The movie is categorized as a thriller, but it is no ordinary one. It has a good story, a good script, an excellent director and a great cast. The music is moving and the cinematography is beautiful.

This is a movie that makes art for art's sake and nothing more. A movie only the Europeans could make. There is no commercial pressure, there is no need to add anything to the plot, or to make the story anything more (or less) than it is. It is the story of the man who wanted to change the world, and who succeeded.

The director does a terrific job. The camera walks, runs, flies high and low, in search of the perfect angle, the story moves easily from one point to the next and the attention to detail is overwhelming. There are moments when the action stops and only the camera moves. Combined with a brilliant sound track, the result is a masterpiece.

The actors are perfectly selected. Emir Kusturica is the bohemian KGB officer, a role that fits his bearish physique like a glove. Guillaume Canet is the unlikely counterpart and he does a brilliant job. Both man are also accomplished film directors in their own right, and I don't think I've ever seen a movie with main characters like these. They have a special, natural and effortless connection with the camera and with each other, and the film benefits tremendously. The women are there only to make their life difficult and to show how they each deal with their "domestic" problems and weaknesses. But if their roles are small, they do an excellent job.

In other roles, there is a cast of who's who of Hollywood. If they would give awards for best supporting cast, this movie would take the cake. Fred Ward is Ronald Reagan, the boss of the United States, Willen Defoe is the boss of the CIA, David Soul has a tiny role and Diane Kruger has a very recognizable cameo appearance.

The music is moving, when it is meant to be moving, and simply noise, when it is meant to be nothing else.

If there is one flaw that I found, is that the movie repeats itself too much. There are several great ideas and scenes, but they tend to be repeated a lot. Even the greatest idea is a masterpiece only once. The second time it is not so great and the third time it is just... boring. The movie could have been shorter and it could have left some things to the viewer's imagination.

There is also the choice of language. There is French, there is Russian and there is English. While the use of all three languages adds to the authenticity of the story, the constant and relentless switching between them gets tiresome, sooner or later. And since the copy I had had no subtitles, some of the Russian dialog remained a mystery. Thank God! there were no Chinese or Japanese involved.

Farewell. A great movie, even if a little self-indulgent. 8/10.

The reluctant spy

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 6 May 2011]

One night, Frenchman Pierre Froment, living in Moscow, attends his daughter's circus performance. He excuses himself for a moment to go to his car. As he sits in the driver's seat, he is surprised by an intruder with an interesting proposition. The messenger, Sergei Gregoriev, chooses the innocent looking Pierre because he had served a tour of duty in France. Sergei has fond memories of his time there.

It is the beginning of the 1980s and Breznev is in control. Things have gotten so bad in the country, Sergei believes something is needed to bring change into his land. For that, he proposes an exchange of secret documents that Pierre will deliver to France to be passed on to the Americans. His reasoning is that by doing that something will result as the Soviets enemies will be outsmarted.

France had just elected Francois Mitterand, a socialist to the highest office. He had all intentions of naming communists to the cabinet, something the Americans dreaded. As Mitterand is informed of Pierre's mission, he decides to cooperate with the United Nations. In doing so, he gets to discuss what is happening with Ronald Reagan himself, who is at first reluctant, until he realizes what a good thing has fallen in his lap.

Sergei must do all kinds of secret maneuvers in order to copy the material for Pierre. He risks being exposed as a traitor with all the consequences that go with whatever punishment he gets. His situation at home is not exactly a happy one. He lives with his wife and a son that is going to the university, but who secretly loves everything Western, as most young people from his generation. In addition, he has his own secret life, a sordid affair with Natasha. His sacrifice for wanting to change the system will come to haunt his own life.

Directed by Christian Carion, who gave us the wonderful "Joyeux Noel", the director keeps his excellent work taking thorny issues such as the one at heart in this film. The film surprises because it puts into context an unknown page of history as it celebrates the obscure protagonists that were instrumentals in what was the end of a totalitarian regime. The screenplay is based on a book written by Serguei Kostine with an adaptation by the director and Eric Reynaud.

The film is totally dominated by Emir Kusturica, who is a notable director himself. His Sergei Gregoriev is one of the most compelling characters in recent memory. This was a selfish man that saw a nation in despair because of a rotten system. Taking things into his own hands, he foresaw what would become as a result of his actions. Guillaume Canet, also a film director who gave us the wonderful "Tell No One", makes an impression as Pierre Froment. The large international cast include some good actors. Fred Ward, Willem Dafoe, Philippe Magnan, the marvelous Nils Arestrup, Alexandra Maria Lara, among the supporting cast add to our enjoyment.

The cinematography by Walther Van Den Ende as well as Clint Mansell's music score enhance the film. Director Christian Carion is a man to watch.

Farewell

[cultfilmfan · 10/10 · 18 November 2010]

Farewell is a French film in French, English and Russian, but with English subtitles. The film is based on the book Bonjour Farewell by Serguei Kostine. The film takes place in the early 1980's and is about a Russian internal security officer named Sergei, who is fed up with the current communist government and decides to take Soviet documents and secret information to the government of France, under President Mitterrand, who himself is a socialist, but is working in coalition with the communists. Sergei hopes that by doing this he could bring about a change in the Soviet Union. Sergei realizes that he can not do it alone, so he gets the help of a French engineer named Pierre Froment, who is based out of Moscow, to help him with his mission. During the film both men will come under suspicion of family members and those around them and at times they even doubt each other, but Sergei is bound and determined to succeed with his mission. Before, I saw Farewell, I knew very little about it, but had seen and read some of the great reviews it had been receiving. It took me a little while to sort of get caught up with the characters and all the events that were going on during the film, but in the end I found myself loving the film. I am glad that I decided to go see Farewell, instead of skipping it altogether. I think the fact that it was about espionage worried me, because I really am not a fan of the usual James Bond type espionage and spy films. Farewell thankfully turned out to be something different. Instead of a lot of action, car chases and the usual high tech gimmicks and story lines that are pumped out in the American versions of these type of films (and I guess the British, seeing as they created James Bond), we are instead taken down a different route, where we are introduced to these two men and we really get to know the two of them well during the length of the film and we even start to care about them. We see them go about their daily lives with things going on at home and raising families, but these two also are passionate people and they are doing what they are doing for what they consider to be the best thing for them and their country and families. This film took a more personal approach by letting us get to know these two men and giving us good character development and sets a good pace for the film and also helps us to understand why they are doing what they are doing and the end results and choices they end up making. The dialogue between the characters is all very good here and the acting from the two leads and basically the whole cast is terrific. The film once you get to know what is going on, moves at a good pace and at times is thrilling and at other times we are in deep fascination to see what will happen in the character's personal lives as well as what will happen with the mission they are working on. As, I said we really do get to know these characters well with their heroic qualities and even their flaws and we still admire them both and get to care for them. Some of the best scenes of the film have nothing to do with the espionage mission at all, but instead seeing how they interact with their families and how they go about their daily lives. It may not be action packed, but it feels realistic and human and more believable this way. Farewell is a really captivating film with it's story which is brought to great justice by a great script, direction and performances. I also appreciated seeing a European view on the events and matters that take place during the film instead of a typical and perhaps biased American version. I could respect and see what they were trying to get across in this version of the story and I am glad they did not change anything to be more commercial, or to sell more tickets. Farewell is a terrific film and definitely one of the best of 2010.

One of the best movies ever made!

[dgurtin · 10/10 · 2 May 2011]

From the brilliant cinematography of the opening scene, this movie declares itself as a masterpiece. I watched it at the edge my seat till the end, laughing and crying for Emir Kusturica's Sergei, a bear of a man and hating my beloved Willem Defoe's blood curdling CIA chief Finn. Guillaume Canet as Pierre Froment is also very good, maddeningly naive and equally lovable; in fact movie is full of living and breathing real characters, although unfortunately all women are slightly shadowy compared to men. I loved the exquisite detail to the period with clothes, hair, glasses and atmosphere, particularly in Moscow. The story was grippingly interesting and every single scene, every bit of dialogue believable. I feel enriched for having watched L'affaire Farewell, Merci Christian Carion.

Authentic Intel Depiction

[jswollen · 8/10 · 18 October 2010]

This film is one of the few I have seen in the last 10 years that accurately depicts the more day to day activities of what a career in spycraft really is. It is less about drinking single malt and shooting machine guns, and more about making intense personal connections with people that have possibly nothing more in common than a shared ideal or goal. Would a KGB/FSB officer have any reason to befriend a low-level Telecom engineer other than to recruit him as a source? The answer is a resounding no, but makes a perfect cover to conduct the types of interactions that make a successful source / handler relationship work.

The depictions of a hostile intel environment like Moscow in the 1980's where the average foreign national had a two man car team following at all times with guards reporting movements at a gate outside the house were very accurate. The bugging of the house and bedroom, and the reality that this brings to living in front of a camera and live audience at all times for years on end is very real. Yakov Smirnov's old joke of "In Russia you don't watch television, television watch you," is the very reality of even the modern operating environment in the forbidden environments.

(spolier alert) In the beginning of the film, a seasoned gristled KGB colonel conducting a meeting with the untrained Engineer really set the tone for the film. He preferred working with an amateur that was off the radar of the domestic services to a trained professional with a profile and active surveillance team. The amount of time and coordination that goes into a meeting in a hostile environment includes potentially months of planning and days of execution. All of this to pull off a brief meeting or just a passing of documents or money. All of this planning and preparation have their own footprint and limit the longevity of an operation in their own way. Choosing to work with this amateur ensured that the footprint would be dismissible in the beginning, allow rapid multiple meetings, and the cover for action would only erode over time as they made their own operational decisions. This is what would work for exactly the goal of the operation. Short operation with huge results. That and the source seemed to be on a suicide mission. Very accurate.

I read in a previous review that they thought the pace was slow or that this narrative was under-paced. I disagree in that the action was very compressed, but real spy work is only exciting when things go bad. If the meetings are conducted securely, there is little more to see and hear than two colleagues discussing politics and events. Again, very accurate. It only gets exciting near the end, and true to reality, excitement only means things have gone horribly wrong.

The liaison relationship depicted between the french service and the American service was also very interesting. A never ending cat and mouse game in which both parties assume the other is holding something back and reveal information only as it seems inevitable that the other would learn it. I think the depiction of the two executives of France and the US doing this face to face was a little embellished, but the characters were certainly the ones acting on the intel. The other depictions of the liaison relationships and turf battles among domestic and foreign services within the same country were very accurate and probably underplayed in this story.

(Spoiler alert) Finally, the burning of the source in the end by the US was again something that happened (happens) to regularly when the seeming political fallout is larger than the political gain of the intel. This is what really made this such a beautiful character depiction. The fact that the source knew how the varied agencies would let the facts and events unfold. He knew he would be caught, he knew how it would end, and the poem concerning the wolf and the cubs stitched this narrative together in a beautiful way while in no way coming across as ham-handed or forced.

In all an excellent movie.

Mostly unknown piece of history in the west

[blperoc · 8/10 · 14 July 2012]

Totally enjoyed this movie and it was a piece of history I did not know about. If you like the movie and want to know more I would highly recommend that you read the book. The names are changed in the movie.

I'm reading the book now and I'm about 80% done.

If you remember the events with Reagan and Gorbachev and the discussion around SDI, this movie and book will fill in some blanks as to why the conversation and decisions were possible on both sides.

This is the story of a man who deperately wanted to be important and was determined to make his impact on the world in one way or another.

This is my 10th line of text (kind of a dumb IMDb rule).