Pendant ce temps sur Terre

No pun intended - a few things I was struggling with before writing this review ... talking about the ending in a way that may give away certain things ... rating, because of the great ending (at least in my humble opinion) ... should I go at least 8? Well I may change my mind and it really is tough for me to make up my mind I reckon overall.

All that said, the lesser you know about the movie the better it probably works. One thing you should know for sure: it is a slow burn. It may get stuck in your head (sorry for the pun) ... and it is tough to imagine "what would I do?" ... because our main character is in a tough spot to say the least.

So to decide what to do ... and to "obey" because of love ... well you'll understand. What you may not understand ... or at least is not entirely clear I think: the ending. If what we know up to this point is true ... it would point to one thing ... but then again, maybe it wasn't all as it was said it is(?) ... the animation is well done and sparsely used (and that is a good thing) ... a movie for the thinking minds ... no right or wrong here ...

This movie is a true journey to one's inner core. It may look small in the beggining, but it uses its characters and context in a beautiful and meaningful way. It is realistic and it pushes the boundaries of the basic sci-fi flick in a very cerebral and receptive way.

The cinematography is noteworthy, capturing both the beauty and the harsh realities of Earth. The use of color and light reinforces the film's themes, creating a visual representation of hope and despair. The performances of the ensemble cast are compelling; each actor brings depth to their roles, effectively conveying the emotional weight of their characters' struggles.

The screenplay is rich with dialogue that challenges viewers to reflect on their own lives and the state of the planet. The film touches on themes of environmentalism, connection, and the passage of time, prompting viewers to consider their place in the larger tapestry of life.

The music was a solid 10/10 for me. It is absolutely epic and it's constantly haunting you in a beautiful way, making you totally dissolve in the atmosphere of the movie.

In the end, for the ones who will get it, we are left with a metaphysical and heart warming message about humanity and the real meaning of the life.

It's regrettable when a filmmaker's reach exceeds his or her grasp. Such is the case, unfortunately, in writer-director Jérémy Clapin's second feature outing, an ambitious but failed attempt at making a profound statement about the pain of loss and efforts to overcome it when an opportunity presents itself. The film follows the mysterious disappearance of astronaut Franck Martens (Sébastien Pouderoux) while on a seemingly routine space mission, leaving behind his grieving family, most notably his younger sister, Elsa (Megan Northam). She misses her brother terribly but is astounded one evening when she inexplicably appears to be able to communicate with him telepathically. No sooner does she resume contact with him, however, when he disappears again, but this time his voice is supplanted by that of a mysterious alien entity (Dimitri Doré), who says that Franck can be returned home but for a price - the securing of five human hosts for the entity and four colleagues to enable them to come to Earth. Elsa is thus thrust into a moral dilemma: How can she bring about her brother's return while willfully subjecting five innocent individuals to this kind of involuntary abduction? Who should she choose for such a fate? And is this kind of ransom too high a price to pay? These are intriguing questions, a sound basis for a thoughtful morality play. Sadly, however, the execution of this story is clumsily handled. The filmmaker serves up a story that awkwardly seeks to blend science fiction, horror, psychological drama and metaphysics in a single vehicle, one whose narrative plays more like a collection of concept notes than even a first draft of a working script. The result is a disjointed mix of literal, metaphorical and symbolic themes and imagery, including both animation and live action, that lends itself more to inscrutable ambiguity than meaningful clarity. Perhaps this could have been rectified with a longer runtime to yield more extensive and more cohesive development, but its scant 1:23:00 runtime makes the picture feel rushed and somewhat hurriedly patched together, almost as if the creators tried to incorporate whatever elements they could before the production funding ran out. It's a shame that this project has turned out as it has, given that it seems to stem from noble intents. However, as it stands now, this is more muddle than insight, a film that falls far short of its lofty, high-minded potential.

Saw this at the Imagine 2024 film festival in Amsterdam. It is not for the SciFi elements that I rank this movie 7 out of 10, but for the human dilemmas posed. Actually, I wanted to rate 8 out of 10, but it takes too long before we reach the core of the matter. It will let people lose interest before the real issues become clear. Not good, storytelling wise.

In essence, it is about how many lives of living humans you don't know you can take, when needed in exchange for the live of one man you know (your brother) and persistently want to get back. It starts easily when someone conspiring to rape our main protagonist Elsa, becomes the first candidate to be sacrificed in the race to obtain 5 living persons to trade for her brother lost in space. (Elsa severely damaged the attempting rapist with a chainsaw, rendering him unusable to host an alien.)

The next 3 are elderly people from the nursing home where Elsa works, most of them demented, so in some way a defendable act as a humane way out. So far so good. However, still three hours from the deadline, Elsa lets a man go who she picked up from the street (pushing a defective motorbike; offering to bring him home). While underway, the man spoke enthusiastically about his plans to open a restaurant, obviously a potentially useful member of society. It is a merciful thing to do, despite the narrow timeline for rescuing her brother...

The only SciFi involved is the sparse communications Elsa has with her brother in space, and with the five aliens around him. And related visuals showing where the brother is now. The brother seems genuine, as he tells a story out of their common past that only they know. The transfer of all five aliens is a prerequisite for bringing her brother back to earth, hence the chase for five humans to sacrifice, to be used as carrier for the aliens.

All in all, the slow burn may annoy some people, in addition to the fact that hardly any SciFi is involved in a story announced about a man lost in space. That raises expectations this movie won't satisfy. It takes some patience and some time, like what happened to me, to find out where it is all about.

One actress here and very good she is too at expressing emotion; great presence

Great landscapes. But the storyline .... dear this goes nowhere there are clever little bits the little bro the seed in her ear to communicate with the aliens all nice

But no ending .... like a river which dries and disappears in sands

When you tell a story you need a story and often these days there is not. All is done well elegantly but without a complete story you have nowt and frankly no one will remember this one i will not

I gave it it a 4 could have given it a 6 maybe for the originality contained here but i felt cheated at the end as in what happened .... it could not be completed .....

Watch it tho if only for the acting.