Die Ruhelosen

Well acted drama depicting bipolar disorder without pathos and self-pity ; the first part of the movie is almost "normal", showing little by little signs of mood swings in Damien's condition : the fact that he leaves his young boy alone in the boat -to drive her ashore-,that his way of fishing is bizarre ; 45 min throughout the movie (it may put off the viewer because there's no real plot ;this psycho knows no ending and no end ;neither does the movie) , the mood swings become extreme highs and mainly lows:the couple is in jeopardy and the wife becomes more and more overwrought ; the child who sees it all (the scene in the classroom is a terrible humiliation for the schoolboy) and his mom (Bekhti)has to cope with an unbearable situation ,still increased by the covid epidemic.

Never Hollywoodian, never spectacular( except for the scene when the manic -depressive man drives on the wrong side of the road) , it's not a very accessible movie, but it will reward you if you give it a chance ,for it depicts a tragedy with remarkable restraint.

Joachim Lafosse the director had already amazed us with L'ECONOMIE DU COUPLE, back in 2016, another terrific movie about the detailed, realistic, and also disturbing analysis of a couple in distress and about to collapse. It may be painful for some folks to watch it, espcially because this story is helped by so jaw dropping characters performances. As I said about L'ECONOMIE DU COUPLE, you have the feeling to watch real characters in real life, as also in LE PASSE, another outstanding French film about a family.... I don't remember any other French film speaking of bipolar issue ; that makes this one even more interesting.

This movie is an excellent summary of the elementary concepts serving as an introduction to an approach to basic knowledge of the bipolar disorder. Fiction is indeed far from surpassing reality : the director and script writer has choosen a soft approach but it is enough to realize the great suffering of the bipolar patient and the intense and continuous psychological pressure undergone by his entourage. Excellent staging and excellent acting : Damien Bonnard (well known since his role as a policeman in the film Les Misérables by Ladj Ly) and Leïla Bekhti (perfect as usual).

Joachim Lafosse has put together a movie that's not easy to endure - which is a compliment, in this case, but also means it's not for everyone.

Damien is an artist who lives together with his partner Leila and their young boy, Amin, a seemingly blissful family life. The problem - Damien is bipolar, suffering from overwhelming bouts of mania, followed by the lethargy of heavy medication. It's fiercely uncomfortable to watch, thanks to the performances of Leila Bekhti and Damien Bonnard, and has such deep rooted compassion for its characters that it's impossible to be left indifferent.

There's little lightness and not much hope for a reversal of fortunes in Les intranquilles, but Lafosse's commitment to the film's reality proves a winning formula. Not one that's easy to forget.