Manon sur le bitume

Manon on the Asphalt (2007)

**** (out of 4)

Exceptional French film got an Oscar-nomination for Best Short. The movie shows a young woman riding her bike through the streets when she is hit by a car and lays dying in the street. In these brief moments before death she begins to think about her life, her friends, her boyfriend and what impact their lives had by knowing her. I really wasn't sure what to expect from this film even though I had heard some very good things about it. I must say I now have to see what else was nominated the year this lost the prize. I was really emotionally caught up with this thing and I was simply blown away at how beautiful, poetic and incredibly touching the film was. There's more power and emotion in this 15-minute film then pretty much any Hollywood film coming out around this time. For starters, the film gives a wonderful and touching view point of what one's final moments alive would be like. The way we flash from one flashback to another, the way we see our victim thinking about what people are going to think and how we hear her talk about things she wishes she had done were handled so well that I'm sure the film will leave on impact on those who watch it. Directors Marre and Pont do an excellent job at telling their story and they manage to milk just about every emotion that you could as it really hits its message and delivers a first-rate entertainment. The performances are wonderful, the screenplay right on the mark and we even get a great cover of Bob Dylan's "You're Going to Make Me Lonesome".

The concept of MANON ON THE ASPHALT — the effect a woman's life had on those around her in the moment she dies, as seen by the nearly departed — is slightly affected and literary, but the execution as visual and emotional little film. Of the five live action short Academy Award nominees, this is the only one that choked me up. Like AMELIE, Manon (we barely know her, actually) is a spritely Parisienne with a wide range of friends, neighbors and family, all of whom care about her. What's remarkable, of course, is that neither Manon nor those in her circle are "special" — they are just like everyone else, as complex and human and quirky as anyone. The film taps into a universality of life with clarity and heart without becoming cloying. I can't imagine someone not nodding in acknowledgment or familiarity at many of the events and personalities. My vote for the Oscar.