Departure

Not many directors start their full-length future film careers with powerful films. The few examples I can think of include Jean-Luc Godard with his 'À bout de soufflé' ('Breathless'), Alejandro González Iñárritu's 'Amores Perros', Gus van Sant's 'Mala Noche', Larry Clark's 'Kids' and Xavier Dolan's 'I killed my mother' ('J'ai tué ma mère'). And now there is another one on my list: Andrew Steggall's 'Departure'.

Elliot (Alex Lawther) and his mother Beatrice (Juliet Stevenson) are vacating their holiday home in the south of France. As they are packing, a picture unfolds. Once happy times don't seem so happy anymore. Could the absent husband be part of the problem? It is not that simple. We gradually get to know the mother and her son. Beatrice's life is slowly crumbling away, while Elliot, on the other hand, seems to be living in his own world. Elliot meets a French lad, Clément (Phénix Brossard) a few years older than him and develops a crush on him. Both boys have issues to deal with, influencing their friendship. When Elliot's dad arrives, matters come to a point.

This film has several strong points: The cinematography by Brian Fawcett is outstanding, be it of the forest and river landscapes, or indoor scenes. I found the acting excellent; special mention must be made of the powerful performances of Juliet Stevenson and Alex Lawther. My only negative comment is that the editing could have been a tad tighter, particularly regarding the underwater footage that seems to be over-emphasized. This is only a minor issue and has no serious impact on this rewarding film. I am looking forward to Andrew Seggall's next film. I score 'Departure' an excellent 8/10.

10+10+10 Stars! This film tugs my heart on SO many levels. Alex Lawther is magnificent. I felt every emotion along with him. Juliet and Phénix round the cast brilliantly. Tears of joy!

Teenage Elliott and his mother Beatrice return for one last time to the beautiful family house in South-West France in the autumn, to pack up and sell it. Whilst there, they meet someone who touches them both.

"Do you think you can know something before it happens?" asks the young Elliott. As the autumn leaves fall and Elliott explores his sexuality, he realises the summer of innocence is gone forever.

Juliet Stevenson and Alex Lawther are perfect in this haunting film. The photography is stunningly beautiful and complimented by a wonderful soundtrack including Oliver Daldry.

This is a film you will want to see again.

Andrew Steggall's lovingly directed first feature is a breath of fresh air in the British cinema scene. What at first sight looks to be a quite familiar LGBT coming of age story is turned by Steggall and his lead actress, Juliet Stevenson, into a far deeper and more engaging story. Elliott's (Alex Lawther) discovery of his own sexuality is beautifully framed against the collapse of his parents' marriage and their discovery that their lives had been based on falsehoods that, in some sense had crept up on them unawares. This is a film that will reach out far beyond the LGBT market and should do well across the European art scene. Very finely and delicately shot in the Languedoc region of France it establishes Steggall as a truly new voice in British cinema - not just composed and assured in the medium but with a distinct aesthetic of his own. It will be fascinating to see where he goes in his next feature - surely a larger and even more ambitious project.

This film bears a similarity to Call Me By Your Name in the way that it has been filmed. The cameraman has an artists eye and it has been recorded in some beautiful locations. And it's about a young boys teenage experiences. It also bears a resemblance to Food Of Love and not just because Juliet Stevenson plays the mother of a gay lad in that one too, but the semi-love triangle is a common motif. I'm beginning to think she may be a little type cast?

It's a nice story, although it doesn't really get anywhere. I like something with a good ending personally. It's full of passion and emotion which creates drama. I can't help wondering whether I should feel bad that I've never felt so angry or confused that I've acted out in some of the ways portrayed here. Or should I feel happy that I deal with my drama better?

I felt that the lead, played by Alex Lawther was acted very well. An eccentric character with many quirks who can't have been easy to play. The character of Clement was cute, so he kept me watching and his story was interesting anyway. I don't really feel that the Dad was needed in the film and we could have seen the reactions to him from phone calls, rather than in the flesh and in fact his side of things didn't really add anything.

I might like to see a follow up film showing what happened next as, like I say, it all seems a bit open ended.

Worth a watch and I would consider buying it to keep in my DVD collection.