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IMDbPro

L'affaire Farewell

  • 2009
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
7.1K
YOUR RATING
Emir Kusturica and Guillaume Canet in L'affaire Farewell (2009)
The French intelligence service alerts the U.S. about a Soviet spy operation during the height of the Cold War, which sets off an unfortunate chain of events.
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The French intelligence service alerts the U.S. about a Soviet spy operation during the height of the Cold War, which sets off an unfortunate chain of events.The French intelligence service alerts the U.S. about a Soviet spy operation during the height of the Cold War, which sets off an unfortunate chain of events.The French intelligence service alerts the U.S. about a Soviet spy operation during the height of the Cold War, which sets off an unfortunate chain of events.

  • Director
    • Christian Carion
  • Writers
    • Eric Raynaud
    • Christian Carion
    • Sergey Kostin
  • Stars
    • Guillaume Canet
    • Emir Kusturica
    • Alexandra Maria Lara
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    7.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Christian Carion
    • Writers
      • Eric Raynaud
      • Christian Carion
      • Sergey Kostin
    • Stars
      • Guillaume Canet
      • Emir Kusturica
      • Alexandra Maria Lara
    • 31User reviews
    • 71Critic reviews
    • 74Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Farewell
    Trailer 2:21
    Farewell

    Photos14

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    Top cast76

    Edit
    Guillaume Canet
    Guillaume Canet
    • Pierre
    Emir Kusturica
    Emir Kusturica
    • Grigoriev
    Alexandra Maria Lara
    Alexandra Maria Lara
    • Jessica
    Ingeborga Dapkunaite
    Ingeborga Dapkunaite
    • Natasha
    Philippe Magnan
    Philippe Magnan
    • Mitterrand
    Aleksey Gorbunov
    Aleksey Gorbunov
    • Choukhov
    • (as Oleksii Gorbunov)
    Dina Korzun
    Dina Korzun
    • Alina
    Niels Arestrup
    Niels Arestrup
    • Vallier
    David Soul
    David Soul
    • Hutton
    Fred Ward
    Fred Ward
    • Reagan
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Feeney
    Marc Berman
    • Jacques
    Christian Carion
    Christian Carion
    • Favier
    Evgeniy Kharlanov
    Evgeniy Kharlanov
    • Igor
    • (as Yevgeni Kharlanov)
    Lauriane Riquet
    • Ophelie
    Timothé Riquet
    • Damien
    • (as Timothe Riquet)
    Vsevolod Shilovskiy
    Vsevolod Shilovskiy
    • Gorbachev
    • (as Vsevolod Shilovsky)
    Vladimir Tolstoy
    • Chef du KGB
    • (as Vladimir Tolsty)
    • Director
      • Christian Carion
    • Writers
      • Eric Raynaud
      • Christian Carion
      • Sergey Kostin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews31

    6.97.1K
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    Featured reviews

    7jr-832-233403

    Reasonably well made. Lacks some finish.

    I had some previous knowledge of the Farewell-affair, so i came in knowing pretty much what to expect. On the whole they seemed to pull it off pretty well. The one thing that did grate me though were the scenes with Ronald Reagan in them. The acting and dialogue in those are way under par for the movie and seriously impacted my enjoyment of the rest of it.

    But yeah. If you want the reverse Snowden then this is the movie for you. The pacing is all right. It is not horribly complicated, as far as spy thrillers go.

    A tense dropoff here, an escape here, some exposition of character motivation, some family drama, a whiff of secrecy and an outcome which is never in doubt.
    9cambridgefilmfest

    "Farewell"

    FAREWELL is an elegant depiction of Cold War espionage based on true events that proved catalytic to the demise of the Soviet Union. Pierre Froment (Guillame Canet), a French businessman who is 'above suspicion' due to his amateur status, is compelled to deliver high level intelligence from reckless, disillusioned KGB veteran Sergei Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica) to Reagan's cabinet via François Mitterrand, thereby crippling Soviet intelligence.

    Whilst Froment and Grigoriev convincingly resemble weary bureaucrats, scenes in the White House lack credibility - perhaps an attempt at satire by Carion, they are nevertheless rendered redundant by the sombre refinement of the film. Cultural boundaries between East and West deliver brief comic reprieve, and signal the imminent disintegration of an already stagnant regime.

    Suffused with nostalgia, we observe Brezhnev-era Moscow cast in the lurid yellow light of street-lamps, or bleached white by lens flare, with an effortless attention to detail - Muscovites stand in endless queues on street corners as Soviet vehicles roam empty boulevards flanked by Socialist realist statues. Subterranean scenes add a noir aesthetic, reflecting the shades of deception throughout - in the words of Grigoriev; "I live in lies and solitude".

    Kusturica gives a shatteringly affecting performance, conveying Grigoriev's wistful patriotism and hope for his son's future with a rare eloquence. Carion creates real suspense and accommodates subtle plot twists, but there are no cheap thrills here- the film defies the brash conventions of its genre. Understated, fluid camera-work and dedicated performances deliver a film of classic style and depth. 5 out of 5

    Cambridge Film Festival Daily
    9film_ophile

    The Very Moving Emir Kusturica

    We just returned from seeing this film as part of the Annual French Film Festival at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, 7/10/10. In the U.S., we have an expression sometimes used to express one's admiration for a certain talented actor/actress who is riveting to watch on screen.I will use this expression here w/ regards to the lead actor, " I could watch Emir Kusturica read the phone book". It is his performance more than any other single factor, that causes me to think very highly of this film.It is a rare thing to watch a film about a real life hero without seeing a film that is also maudlin, clichéd or too simplistic.

    But in "Farewell" I felt that the story was compelling,and the screenplay was well written,economical, completely believable and well acted.There were no unnecessary scenes and the whole thing mostly made sense, as sad as that sense was.The cinematography was crummy, but you can't have everything.Besides,I was so mesmerized by K's performance that I didn't really care that much about the cinematography, because my eyes were always focused in on him.As I exited the theater I felt like I had just been hit by a truck, and I am still feeling this film.
    7Philby-3

    Not much suspense but authentic atmosphere

    In this film the adage "truth is stranger than fiction" is well demonstrated. The real story of Vladimir Vetrov, the KBG Colonel who leaked vital details of the Soviet spy network to the West in the early 1980's is even more bizarre that the story related here, where Colonel Sergei Gregoriev (Emir Kursturica) uses a French electronics engineer Pierre Froment (Guillaume Canet), resident in Moscow, to pass secrets to the French domestic intelligence agency, the DST, and on to the CIA. Sergei ruled out using the DSGT, the French external intelligence service because he was aware it had been penetrated by the KGB. As it is the story here is a little lacking in tension despite the larger than life Sergei becoming more and more reckless as the story progresses .Some of the minor parts are pure vaudeville, Fred Ward's Ronald Reagan for example. However the two principals Kursturica and Canet, both prominent film directors, completely contrasting personalities, are very convincing. The 80's cold war atmosphere is well re-created – even the credits are vaguely menacing.

    As in several recent spy stories "based on real events" the viewer is left with the impression that the West and Soviets had so thoroughly penetrated each other's security defences that they might as well have monthly meetings to hand over each other's secrets. This story does suggest that the Soviet Union was not able to keep up with Western technology, particularly in computing, and in resorting to stealing software the Soviets sowed the seeds of their downfall. In one instance the West was able to feed the Soviets with enough crook software to cripple their gas pipelines and cause a truly big explosion (without injuring a single person, apparently).

    We do get considerable insight into what motivated Sergei, if not Vetrov (who seems to have been a less admirable character). Sergei is s true believer in communism, but he also fiercely loves his son, whom he wants to inherit something worthwhile. In a way the movie is as much about a parent sacrificing themselves for the sake of their child than the old spy versus spy routine. Froment is a less interesting character, but something inside him keeps him involved with the egregious Sergei despite his own misgivings and that of his wife Jessica (a refugee from East Germany with good reason to be afraid). Perhaps it's the opportunity for an otherwise unremarkable person to do something important. Or maybe he just finds it hard to say "non" to a person as charismatic as Sergei.

    This film is not an "edge of your seat" suspense thriller but it tells an absorbing story, and is a useful reminder of the spy paranoia that prospered during the cold war.
    10dorothyjdavis

    I loved it & so did everyone in my film group!

    My film group and I saw "Farewell" at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Lincoln Center in New York. We all loved it. I do hope it will have a commercial release soon so more people can see it. The acting was superb, the screenplay riveting. We did not know the story so we were kept on the edges of our seats. I gained a lot of insights into what was going on in the cold war and emerged with a very different take on what had happened and increased appreciation for the leaders of France and the U. S. and appreciation for the brave Russian agent and what he did for the world. I am looking forward to reading the book on which the film was based. The opening and closing were so beautiful and meaningful -- the meaning only grasped at the end. I will never forget them.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Alexander Avdeev (Russian ambassador in France who became Russian Culture Minister and who had been expelled from France in 1983 because of Farewell) blocked most Russian actors to play in this movie, including Sergey Makovetskiy and Nikita Mikhalkov, because he did not want to back a movie about a Russian traitor. He also blocked authorizations to film in Moscow, while most of the plot takes place in Moscow. Christian Carion had to pretend to film a Coca Cola advertisement for the few images of the city.
    • Goofs
      In the Soviet Union, motorists would typically keep their windscreen wipers in their glove compartments for fear of having them stolen, as they were hard to come by. Yet in the movie, every single car has its wipers attached.
    • Connections
      Featured in En bonne intelligence (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Awakening
      Written by Cyril Morin

      Massive Music/Some Players

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 23, 2009 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Production Notes
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • The Farewell Affair
    • Filming locations
      • Helsinki, Finland
    • Production companies
      • Nord-Ouest Films
      • Le Bureau
      • Pathé
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €17,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,406,706
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 53m(113 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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