La gueule ouverte

The Center for Arts of my university is screening all of Pialat's movies this month. 'The mouth agape' is the eighth Pialat film that i've now seen (out of 10) and it is right up there, not only as one of his best along with Loulou, naked childhood, and Van Gogh, but as a striking work on the subject of death. We see an elderly housewife during her last days, who finally dies just when her pain and suffering compels even those who love her intensely, to wish for the dreaded moment to come fast. But the movie is more about how her disjointed family, comprising of a playboyish husband (who, even as an old man, cannot refrain from flirting with any and every woman he runs into), a son who's gone on his father's footsteps and daughter in law, who in a sense mirrors the lady's life. A young and lovely Nathalie Baye plays the daughter in law, and is one of the several stand out performances of the film. In short, death is a hard subject to make films on, but Pialat, with masterful touch, does so with unflinching realism, and the movie has several truly beautiful moments.

I won't give anything away by saying this is about the reactions of the close relatives of a woman who is dying. It is a stunning, absorbing and beautiful study of these people, and I was totally entranced, I would have been happy for it to be twice as long. The emotions portrayed were so honest, with no hint of gloss or sentimentality. The human condition has never been better-portrayed.

My Rating : 6/10

When death comes knocking at the door...

'The Mouth Agape' greatly reminds me of 'Cries and Whispers' and 'Amour' however it is more organic and real without the fancy aesthetics and settings.

Well-executed family drama with some great moments towards the end. Interesting to watch it for the immediate family's reactions.

Death is certain and unpleasant and 'The Mouth Agape' gives a serious treatment to the subject with realism minus all the cinematic embellishment (which is a good thing!).

This is a sad film with beautiful photography and some haunting music. It deals, graphically and unflinchingly, with the gradual death of a woman. Both the male characters (her husband and son) are portrayed as unsympathetic and incorrigible philanderers. The son (Philippe, played by Philippe Leotard) is married to a strikingly attractive woman (played by Nathalie Baye) yet he still cheats on her. Incidentally the cast list on IMDb seems to credit two different women as playing the part of Corinne, one of the women with whom Philippe goes to bed. The actress playing this part is in fact the strikingly attractive Marie-Blanche Dehaux, and she gives a good cameo performance. The film is an interesting reminder of the fashions in 1974, and is also a reminder of the casual racism and anti-immigrant prejudice which was apparently normal in rural France at that time.

This was appalling and irksome to watch.

It is very possible to be appalling and irksome, yet still either entertaining or interesting.

Barring these two bare minimums, an otherwise discomfiting film needs to be able to evoke emotion in the audience; to get us to care or sympathize with the characters.

Maurice Pialat did not do any of the above with this film. Difficult to even care about the dying woman, whom could be the victim by some perspectives. Victim of some tragic circumstances in her terminal illness, but perhaps as bad, in the form of her callous son and seemingly heartless, philandering and remorseless husband.

Realism is an admirable trait in any art production and storytelling, yes. Portraying death, dying, and complicated familial bonds with unsentimental, uncompromising raw honesty is indeed something to be applauded. But when the film is unable to successfully garner interest or investment, even in the form of cheap laughs or morbid fascination, this means little.

The film makes a noble attempt at redemption in the final moments, but it was too little, too late. Barely believable, after the characters acted the way they did for so long, with no sign of understanding the pain they were causing, nor any shame or intention to change. Quite a pity, because that penultimate tracking shot, zooming out of the family's now emptier than ever lives, could have made an A+ clip with a plaintive accompanying soundtrack!