Adieu, Lacan

I want to preface my review by saying that if you don't care much for introspection, the human condition, or deliberately paced films, Adieu Lacan is not for you! This film is made up of a series of sessions between a young woman who has immigrated to Paris from Brazil, and her therapist Lacan, who is an old frenchman. Not only do we witness her processing her story, but we get to see Lacan's side as he engages in questioning the process and his place in it. That's something I wish all therapists did!

I like having the opportunity to find out what a person is truly thinking and feeling (even if those people are subjects of a fictional film) and Adieu Lacan allows for that. The film is very thoughtful and also very well thought out. As a viewer I wondered how the film would stay visually engaging. I was rewarded by beautiful and contemplative compositions and editing. I watched this film a few months ago and it is still with me.

I think this is superb filmmaking!

Films that faithfully portray psychoanalysis and what it truly involves are rare. This is one of them, and is not to be missed. This is true art, capturing the evanescent and imperceptible in the texture of human suffering and the body that listens.

Movie history is replete with bad or unartistic representations of analyses. It is a real marvel that Adieu Lacan manages to be both entertaining, artistic, and, at the same time, true to how analysis begins, proceeds, and reaches an end. The three actors - David Patrick Kelly as the famous French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, Ismenia Mendes as his analysand, and Antu Yacob as Lacan's secretary - really brings the analysis alive and sustain a high level of drama and interest in the characters from beginning to end. The directing by Richard Ledes also adds to the way the audience gets pulled into the drama of what is happening; and some of the camera work is very innovative and adds to the sense of intimacy and engagement without ever being voyeuristic. Purely as film, but especially if you want to appreciate the real drama and intellectual and emotional excitement of what analyses is, this is a must see film!

"Adieu, Lacan" explores with compassion and honesty the devastating effect of cultural shock; the director brilliantly allows us to "witness" the complex relationship between an immigrant and the language and culture of her new "homeland". This film is a feast for the ears with its witty dialogues but also for the eyes with its beautiful photography. A patient, a therapist and a discreet elusive character: the city of Paris.

Adieu Lacan is an extraordinary rendering of a psychoanalyst working with a patient. Based on a book, which was the story of an actual analysis with Lacan, this film makes a gripping drama out of the experience. Filmed in Black and White the cinematography is exquisite and the acting remarkable. I could watch this again and again (if only it was available to stream here in Aotearoa/New Zealand)