Alles ist gutgegangen

François Ozon's "Tout s'est bien passé" ("Everything Went Fine" in English) looks a topic that gets little focus in cinema: a patient's choice whether or not to commit suicide. This issue came to prominence when the US state of Oregon passed an ordinance allowing physician-assisted suicide in 1994. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to allow it.

This is one of those movies that requires you to pay attention the whole time: no explosions, high-speed car chases or corny one-liners. This is serious stuff. I wouldn't call it a great movie, but it takes a respectable approach to this controversial topic, showing all sides, as well as the difficulty of this in France (which for the record is ranked as having the best healthcare system in the world; in "Sicko", Michael Moore even showed France's robust welfare state).

Worth seeing if you get a chance. I also recommend reading about Oregon's Death with Dignity Act.

Questions related to assisted suicide and the right to die have been debated hotly for decades, and proponents on each side of these issues have made passionate arguments for their causes. A number of fine films have addressed these issues, too, such as "Blackbird" (2018), "You Don't Know Jack" (2010), "Whose Life Is It, Anyway?" (1981) and "The Barbarian Invasions" (2003). And now moviegoers can add the latest offering from writer-director François Ozon to that list. This fact-based drama about an elderly French stroke victim who asks his daughter to help him die examines the subject from a variety of angles, including the legal, medical, emotional and ethical considerations involved in carrying out such a highly charged act, and it does so with a great deal of integrity, authenticity and heartfelt feeling. It's also one of the finest, most accessible offerings from a filmmaker whose works I believe often leave much to be desired. However, with that said, that's not to say that this release is without its issues, such as several story threads that don't feel fully resolved, as well as some occasionally strange camera work and seemingly superfluous narrative elements. Nonetheless, "Everything Went Fine" has much in its favor, including excellent performances by its three principals (Sophie Marceau, André Dussellier and Géraldine Pailhas), a comprehensive script, sustained pacing, well-placed moments of comic relief, and emotional impact without becoming manipulative or schmaltzy. If you can look past this offering's minor shortcomings, you'll come away from it having had a moving and insightful cinema experience, as well as a thoughtful meditation on when it's time to stay and when to go.

Based on the late Emmanuèle Bernheim's novel Everything Went Fine, French filmmaker François Ozon's light-hearted drama/comedy Tout s'est bien passé is filled with heart and humanity. Starring Sophie Marceau, Charlotte Rampling, André Dussollier, Géraldine Pailhas and Hanna Schygulla, the film beautifully encapsulates the human condition. Fantastic performances with a heartbreaking story. A portrait of what it is to be ill and ageing.

This is a film that touches on something deeper.

"Everything Went Well" is a feature film by French director Francois Ozon, which premiered in July 2021 at the Cannes Film Festival. The main roles in the film were played by Sophie Marceau, Hannah Shigulla and Charlotte Rampling.

The screenplay of the film is based on the novel by Emmanuel Bernheim. The central characters are two women (one of them is a famous writer) who find out that their father is terminally ill and wants to commit euthanasia The beginning of work on the film became known in March 2020. Francois Ozon wrote the script of the film himself , filming began at the end of 2020. The premiere took place at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021,the film will be released in wide distribution in France on September 22, 2021.

"Everything went well" is another film by one of the recognized masters of European cinema, Francois Ozon. The film is based on the autobiographical novel by French writer Emmanuelle Bername. The film is based on the family story of a woman whose elderly father, a well-known art collector who was half paralyzed after a stroke, asks his daughter to help him pass away. However, since euthanasia is prohibited in France, it is not so easy to do what you have planned. And some of the hero's relatives are extremely negative about his decision.

Despite the rather serious topic and the declared genre of drama, the picture looks much easier than you expect at first. The main reason for this is the personality of the main character - the elderly Andre, who was brilliantly played by 75-year-old Andre Dussollier. Not the most positive husband and father, with a stubborn and selfish character, the hero does not always cause sympathy - despite the severity of the situation in which he found himself. You sympathize more with his family members - two daughters (played by Sophie Marceau and Geraldine Paya), for whom the fulfillment of the father's wish is fraught with possible legal problems and is associated with difficult moral responsibility. And also their mother (played by Charlotte Rampling), who suffers from Parkinson's disease, for whom marriage with Andre turned out to be a complete failure. After all, the hero of the film, on top of everything else, is also an open homosexual.

However, despite the complicated family relationships of all four, Francois Ozon does not seek to deeply explore the past of the heroes. There are several episodes in the film dedicated to the youth of the heroine, played by Sophie Marceau- but they look more like random memories or hints to the viewer, which can be interpreted in different ways. Ultimately, the director is more interested in the present, not the past. And the story shown in the film is, first of all, about what can wait for some of us or our parents in old age, about human choice and how this choice affects the closest ones. A magnificent acting ensemble, tragicomic situations in which the characters sometimes get into, witty dialogues and a very dynamic narrative for such films make the picture of Ozone quite interesting for the general public. At the same time, it's not worth waiting for something outstanding from this tape. There are a lot of bureaucratic details related to the process of euthanasia, a fairly predictable plot development and probably not the characters closest to Russian viewers. Nevertheless, Ozone in his film tells about the elite stratum of French society: the main character is a writer, her husband is a film critic, her father is a collector and businessman, her mother is a sculptor, her sister is a musician. The life of the heroes, despite some family grievances, is generally quite prosperous and secured. And therefore death does not look so terrible. No wonder, in one of the episodes, Andre, having found out how much you need to pay for the procedure of passing away, involuntarily asks a question: "Then how do the poor die?" "Oh, Dad, they're just waiting," the daughter replies.

Restrained in emotions, quite simple, but not devoid of touching and memorable moments, the story should appeal to those who love a calm, vital movie, and fans of Francois Ozon's work. In general, this is a well-made picture with a well-thought-out script, decent camerawork and excellent performance by all actors without exception.

A must see in terms of realism around acting and directing. Andre Dussolier gives his best performance ever as a man victim of a stroke. It is painful, poignant and disturbing. It makes you think about many things during and after the watching. You can think about MILLION DOLLAR BABY, because of the euthanasia issue evoked here. If you had anyone arond you victim of a stroke, this film will probably be unbearable or on the contrary will help you to overcome your grief. It could have been a TV movie; the perfect topic for coach audiences. François Ozon has nothing more to prove anyway. Sophie Marceau is also worth seeing, as usual.