Mille bornes

A quietly beguiling examination of the effects of the death of a young man on his friends and close family. He leaves a videotape outlining how he would like his body disposed of, and his friends feel obliged to fulfil his dying wish. A road movie with a difference undoubtedly, but it edges to its moving climax with a dignity which the subject matter deserves.

Alain Beigel made a really sensitive movie with a really strong idea: What are you able to do for a dead friend? A few friends decide to respect their dying friend's last wish and steal the dead body of this friend (played by Beigel) in order to carry him on a beach where the body will be burnt. The actors are great (Bruno Solo is really good) and Emma Decaunes (will you marry me?) who plays the dead guy's sister is amazing. This long trip will make these friends realize how deep their friendship can be. Thanks to a dead body in a car.

I would like to buy a copy of this movie - do you know if a commercial DVD or video of it has been produced? It is an excellent movie whose comedy is built upon an almost relentless stretching of the norms and logic of everyday life. It is also, amidst its comic approach, thought-provoking - for example the question of whether having a transplanted heart might affect your life view of the norms of death and its rites. There is no fear of the incongruous in this production; for example the Japanese girl on the train bears no relevance to the main plot, nor even any logical subplot - but the movie is none the poorer for this apparent tangential scene. Lynn