Valley of Love

Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert star as a former couple who have suffered the greatest tragedy known to mankind: the loss of a child. The impetus of the story is a message from their son, who wrote letters before his suicide promising he'd reappear one more time to say goodbye to his parents if they both travelled to Death Valley at a certain time. His parents haven't seen each other in a very long time, adding even more discomfort to an already strained and upsetting reunion.

There's so much realism in this movie it actually hurts to watch. The saying of "art imitates life imitates art" was never so true as in Valley of Love. When Isabelle asks Gérard if he's happy, his answer is truly heartbreaking. I can only hope this movie was cathartic for him and didn't cause him additional pain. As an audience member, I was constantly reminded of how close to home the subject matter was, and it was very sad.

If you do decide to watch this movie, you'll get to see some very good acting. How could Gérard not be fantastic in this film, right? You'll get to see lots of desert scenery, and feel the perfect pace of life that people feel once they're no longer whole. But bring your Kleenexes, because it's very heavy.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to adult subject matter and scary images, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

The Plot: Valley of Love is a 2015 French film directed by Guillaume Nicloux, starring Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert. It tells the story of two famous actors who used to be a couple and had a son 25 years ago. They reunite after the son's death, and receive a letter asking them to visit five places at Death Valley, which will make the son reappear. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[

I'm writing this review to set the record straight for all the mediocre reviewed jerks who were likely expecting a shoot 'em up movie.

This is a FRENCH film. Yes, it's set in Western America, but it is a FRENCH film. If you know nothing about French movies, you'll probably hate this movie. But if you understand that French films deal with life differently than happy go lucky full of crap Hollywood, then you'll love this movie. As i do. It's real. No shellacking over the emotions.

There is also an underlying truth to this movie with something similar happening to Depardieu and his own son that make it even more poignant.

For me this movie is in line with some of the classic Depardieu movies made in the 70s and 80s before he sold out and just started showing up.

But wait! There's more! About 2/3rds into the film it take a bit of a surreal/supernatural turn that reminds me a bit of Antonioni.

This is truly a great movie.It makes you think and cry and think. Hollywood would never make it.

Beautiful photography. Chilling soundtrack. Wonderful story. Excellent acting. A mesmirizing French forgotten gem! Only 11 reviews on Imdb, because it was only released on dvd in the US. And it's French. How many Americans watch French movies? This is quite an interesting and mesmirizing movie, although it is only suited for an arthouse audience.

Slowburning French lighthearted drama with a few chilling spiritual elements and some tongue in cheek jokes. Quite a serene and endearing story about loss. Probably only suited for an arthouse audience, yet highly recommended for all the fans of Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert, who both deliver excellent performances, as could be expected of such grandiose acting legends.

The story is about a suicide note in which the deceased son asks his 2 parents (Depardieu and Huppert) to visit a place in the American desert, where he will reappear again after his death. The story focusses on the grief of the 2 parents and how they each cope differently with having lost their one and only son.

However depressing this story may sound, this movie goes way beyond just another simple story about loss and grief, because of these excellent directing and tremendous acting talents. Please give it a chance if you are into the more subtle and delicate kind of arthouse movies. You wont regret it. Advised to be watched with subtitles.

Reviewing "Valley of Love" is a great way for me to celebrate my 300th review on Imdb . Thank you for reading !

This is a very simple - in some ways - and sad movie. A long-divorced couple learn of the suicide of their son, with whom they have been out of contact for years. He sends them each a letter, asking them to spend a week together at different sites in Death Valley (yes, in the U.S.), with the promise that he will appear to one of them.

They meet. They encounter a few dull Americans. They spend a lot of time out in the desert. Lots of old dirty laundry gets aired. The end makes no sense.

When I was walking out of the theater in the small Breton town where I saw this movie - fewer that 10 people had showed up to see it -the usher told me that it was based on the story of the death of Gérard Depardieu's son, Guillaume, and that Guillaume had been his son by Isabelle Hupert. Not true. Guillaume was Depardieu's son by his first wife, Elisabeth, and he did not commit suicide. Nor, as far as I know, was he gay. So much for instant legend.

What was good, indeed very good about this movie was the acting by the two principals. They are both first-rate actors, and they do wonders with what is often not first-rate dialogue.

For what it's worth, it's also interesting to see them as they are now, with NO makeup or attempt to hide what time has done to two formerly very handsome/beautiful individuals. Depardieu has become downright enormous, and not in a good way. He looks downright pitiful in shorts.

There is also some beautiful landscape shots of Death Valley.

Not a movie I would see twice, at least in the theater. But not a movie to overlook, either.

I love French films and have seen, perhaps, a couple thousand...which is definitely a lot for an American. So, I jumped at the chance to review "Valley of Love". After all, two actors who I have loved in many French movies star in this production, Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu and I was excited to see them again. Plus, sadly, too often actors in their golden years disappear from films...so it was wonderful to see folks in their 60s starring in a film. And, I must say, the film did not over-glamorize them...particularly Depardieu. He's definitely put on weight over the years and appears in boxer shorts during much of the film...a great way to say 'to hell with the world's obsession over weight, beauty and age'! Unfortunately, while I applaud the film for using these folks and de-glamorizing them, the script itself left me very, very cold.

The film is set in Death Valley, California in November. The folks continually complain how oppressively hot it is there, but this is only during the awful summer months when temperatures soar well over 49 Celsius (120 Fahrenheit). Despite what the film says, Novembers are lovely there with average temperatures 25C/77F...and very never a day approaching 38/120. So, ignore this mistake in the film...this huge national park is not all that inhospitable in the Fall.

Isabelle is staying at some resort...waiting. You aren't sure why but soon see that she'd joined by her -ex, Gérard. Slowly do you learn the very strange reason they are there. Apparently, six months earlier, their son killed himself...leaving a very strange letter for each of them. In the letter he promises that if they follow his itinerary exactly in November, he will briefly re-appear to them! This is very strange to say the least and it's pretty obvious that Gérard holds little stock in all this...though he did inexplicably agree to join Isabelle. Through much of their time together, the two are a miserable pair--rarely agreeing on anything and they are a rather crabby couple. It seems pretty obvious why they are no longer together and that they were lousy parents to their son.

What follows is an odd and somewhat surreal film...and one that leaves the viewer very confused as to what really has occurred. The ending is incredibly vague and the entire film left me dissatisfied. I didn't mind the vague ending as much as I just felt like the film wasted some terrific talent and could have done so much more with the characters. Not a terrible film...but one that I really wanted to love and recommend but simply can't.