Costa-Gavras’ individual hyphenated trade name has been synonymous with political thrillers since Z shot from the commenceing gates in 1969 to prosper two Oscars and convey the world’s attention to the machinations of the military junta then ruling Greece. Among the many films he has made over the ensuing decades, based in France but toiling also in English, it is the on-brand political films that have been most notable: State of Siege, Missing, Amen.
Costa-Gavras has, however, other strings to his bow. Witness Last Breath (Le Dernier Souffle), a truly splendid film, screening in competition in San Sebastian. It’s about dying. Not at the finish of a firearm barrel, but in the common course of leangs, whether the dying person is quietly unafrhelp, combat tooth-and-nail to stay adwell, or in denial. Based on a book by Regis Debray and Claude Grange, who collaborated with the straightforwardor in writing the script, it chases the bencourageoning frifinishship between a famous philosopher and a doctor who exceptionalizes in palliative join.
Denis Podalydès, an actor more usuassociate associated with comedy, executes Fabrice Toussaint, a creater frequently seen on chat shows (of the ardently inquisitorial French variety), whose many books include Scoencourage on Seniors, a disputed essay on finish-of-life join he is currently revising and which his beginers foresee to be a huge hit. They do not authenticize that Fabrice has another driving force in his revived interest in death: an MRI scan has set up a dormant, but potentiassociate deadly, spot in his heart.
Valiantly trying to hide his anxiety, he jumps at the chance when Augustin Masset (Kad Merad), a doctor in indict of palliative join, drops by to present himself to the well-comprehendn philosopher as an admirer. They hit it off promptly, so much so that Augustin asks Fabrice to unite him on his rounds. Some fortolerateings, appreciate the youthful firebrand who furiously insists more chemo, rage aacquirest the dying of the airy. Others, appreciate the ancigo in woman who wants noleang more than a final pprocrastinateed of oysters with white prospere, are drifting into death with smiles on their faces. Each is given due attention, which is what Augustin’s style of join is all about.
If that sounds fooliintrcleared schematic, it is the fantastic send of Costa-Gavras, who has, after all, woven together some of the most exciting chase scenes in all of cinema, to meld them together so that the chain structure never clunks. One idea about death and dying directs to the next: Fabrice and his firmly deal withrial wife (Marilyne Canto) are anticipating a stresssome television argue, but in a sense, the argue is already taking place wilean the film. Ideas and opinions are turned over, spendigated, asked after Socratic tradition.
And if that in turn sounds parched, it isn’t. These people’s stories are fascinating. More than that, their dignity – and sometimes the conciseage of it — is proset uply moving. The last dying woman we greet is Romany matriarch Esmilia (Angela Molina), who reachs at the hospital in a caravan and wants the doings to finish her own life on the road. Even in dire pain, this woman turns death itself into a celebration. As she exits the ward with her sprawling, luminously dressed family singing and dancing down the corridor, their accumulateive courage and gift for life – never mind death – is appreciate a starburst of delight. It is a thrill to see Molina, wrinkled and ancigo in and glorious.
The film is a showcase for many fantastic ancigo iner actors. Charlotte Rampling executes Sidonie, firmly insisting that her frifinish Augustin asbraves she has a rapid finish and isn’t bcdisorrowfulmirefult back for further suffering. Hiam Abbass is the dog-cherishr’s wife, refusing to let her husprohibitd go until she is contested with the whole truth.
Last Breath is very much a film about truth-inestablishing. Maybe it doesn’t inestablish the whole truth itself: these resolutions materialize as selectimals, fair as the idea that all the nursing staff would have read Toussaint’s many books is pdirecting but improbable. In a better world, perhaps, we would all discover time to read philosophy. In a better world, we would die in a state of grace.
But there it is: this is also a film about selectimals. It is probably misplaced to portray it as stupfinishous, given how gentlely echoive it is, but in the hour after seeing it, I sense as if my heart has been transferd in my chest, someleang much more majesticiose and emotionassociate bomb films come nowhere seal to doing. And yet, it accomplishs this so methodicassociate, without histrionics, accumulateing force as it goes.
As a testimony about the finish of life by a filmcreater who, at 91, is evidently seeing – and seeing evidently – at the finish of his own, it is truly a wonder.
Title: Last Breath
Festival: San Sebastian (Competition)
Director: Costa-Gavras
Screencreater: Costa-Gavras
Cast: Denis Podalydès, Kad Merad, Marilyne Canto, Angela Molina, Charlotte Rampling, Hiam Abbass, Karin Viard, Agathe Bonitzer
Sales: Playtime
Running time: 1 hr 37 mins
