Plus que jamais

Intense uncompromising character drama about the individual freedom to determine your own way of dying, enjoying your love and life to the fullest as long as it's possible.

Vickie Krieps plays her difficult main part with great intensity and sensitivity. I have never seen herself acting better than here.

Her partner played with no less vulnerability by the late Gaspar Ulliel. The film makes you really miss one of the best French actors of his generation. Emily Atef directs a beautiful and deep story, breathtaking photography in the Norway sequences. If the end doesn't break your heart, you don't have one.

Hélène (Vicki Krieps), a Luxembourger living in France, is disagnosed with a terminal lung condition. With a husband (the late Gaspard Ulliel) whose concern she finds smothering, and friends who are not sure how to react, she turns to the Internet for solace and stumbles across the website of 'Mister' (Bjørn Floberg), who is receiving treatment for intestinal cancer. After a few webchats in which the two establish a rapport, she decides to visit Mister, hoping to achieve, in his remote Norwegian village, greater understanding of what is happening to her.

Given the subject matter, this film could have been laden with histrionics - floods of tears, screaming etc - but thankfully such scenes are kept to a minimum, even though Hélène's emotions are all over the place and some of her speeches veer dispiritingly close to the 'finding myself' variety. Krieps gives a good performance, aided by a script that does not make Hélène someone mired in self-pity; Hélène desires self-exploration rather than feeling sorry for herself. Ulliel, as the husband who, after giving her so much support, feels left out of his wife's new relationship, is as admirably restrained as the script allows. It is hard to judge the performance of Floberg; it could be that as 'Mister' is such a taciturn character the actor was given little with which to work.

The film contains a lengthy sex scene that, with its tender close-ups and following of 'less is more' in terms of skin revealed per shot, is very erotic.

With its small cast and slow, quiet tone, this would not be for everyone. But if you are after a good human-interest drama, 'More than Ever' would be a good choice.

Plus que Jamais is a slowpaced drama dealing with a fatal disease and what it does to the people around the patient, especially the loved ones.

Vicki Krieps is excellent, it is not hard to understand where Helene is coming from and thats because of Vicki. Yes it's dramatic, but she acts with a lightness that it never gets too heavy.

Her husband , played by the equally wonderful Gaspard Uliel , in one of his last roles, feels left out and has a hard time dealing with being so helpless.

Shot in beautiful Norway the movie is slow yes, but never boring. Excellent acting and story telling.

If that is not enough; for me it was a little confronting to watch deep into Gaspard's eyes again, knowing he passed away earlier this year. Great loss, beautiful and very talented guy.

Must be one of the greatest hardships of a decision to make in life, when being almost surtain that curability is like zero, and the only thing you want in the world is space , air to breath and calm quietness. Where do you go to find that??

Well this film is part bourdoux and part sognefjorden, NORWAY, in the midst of rural wilderness that you may come in the civilized world, and if you want to experience solitude , calmness and peace on mind, maybe for your latter days of your life, it should be a perfect choice.

This is really a dive into the salty bitterness of life before death, the small cast bears the burden with bravour, especially the love scenes where mighty touching and rivetingly well done. Some cyanotic skincolour on the make up dish wouldve helped a little bit to persuade the most sceptical viewer of the graveness of disease, but it must be an individual with an extreme good oxygene uptake, and of course the fresh norwegian air and scenery may help.

Because its a lovestory, a really hurting one, and its a story about choice and selfdetermination and individual consentual rights, the right to try to live as well as to die.

Norwegian actor bjørn floberg in the caracter as bent, the renter, surprise me in an awesome way, such a linguist and silverscreen artist may take generations to find.well done.

Productionwise this is urban vs the free and spacious nature, great visual prospect card sceneries, with a diligent coreographed acting, and dead on realistic demands on choices of life make the grumpy old man say,''why not'! Bravo madame directeur.

No pun intended - love the song by the way, but I reckon I am not alone with that sentiment. It does not have a lot to do with the drama on hand here though. The movie with a great central performance, is a slow burner! And our main actress really is putting on a show (no pun intended).

It may not be easy to really get into her skin, to know exactly what she feels in every moment. But we will have enough empathy to be on her side on her journey. That includes her other half (man) ... he seems like a side piece to her, but he is quite important ... in relating to her, in loving her, in caring for her ... in being there for her, even if she doesn't seem to want him there ... through all the hurdles and more ... but is it worth it for him? And is she even responding to his love and affection? There is not such thing as an eternal flame ... but you'll be the judge.