When her elderly father has a stroke, Emmanuelle rushes to his bedside. Sick and half-paralysed in his hospital bed, he asks Emmanuelle to help him end his life.
Sophie Marceau
Emmanuèle Bernheim
André Dussollier
André Bernheim
Géraldine Pailhas
Pascale Bernheim
Charlotte Rampling
Claude de Soria
Éric Caravaca
Serge Toubiana
Hanna Schygulla
Swiss Lady
Grégory Gadebois
Gérard Boisrond
Judith Magre
Simone
Jacques Nolot
Robert, le voisin de chambre
Daniel Mesguich
Me Georges Kiejman
Nathalie Richard
Capitaine Petersen
Annie Mercier
La directrice de la clinique
Denise Chalem
L'éditrice
François Perache
Le notaire
Catherine Chevallier
Sylvia
Quentin Redt-Zimmer
Raphaël
Alexia Chicot
Noémie
Madeleine Nosal Romane
Emmanuèle enfant
Director, Screenplay
François Ozon
Novel
Emmanuèle Bernheim
Writer
Philippe Piazzo
May 21, 2023
7
Questions related to assisted suicide and the right to die have been debated hotly for decades, and proponents on each side of these issues have made passionate arguments for their causes. A number of fine films have addressed these issues, too, such as “Blackbird” (2018), “You Don’t Know Jack” (2010), “Whose Life Is It, Anyway?” (1981) and “The Barbarian Invasions” (2003). And now moviegoers can add the latest offering from writer-director François Ozon to that list. This fact-based drama about an elderly French stroke victim who asks his daughter to help him die examines the subject from a variety of angles, including the legal, medical, emotional and ethical considerations involved in carrying out such a highly charged act, and it does so with a great deal of integrity, authenticity and heartfelt feeling. It’s also one of the finest, most accessible offerings from a filmmaker whose works I believe often leave much to be desired. However, with that said, that’s not to say that this release is without its issues, such as several story threads that don’t feel fully resolved, as well as some occasionally strange camera work and seemingly superfluous narrative elements. Nonetheless, “Everything Went Fine” has much in its favor, including excellent performances by its three principals (Sophie Marceau, André Dussellier and Géraldine Pailhas), a comprehensive script, sustained pacing, well-placed moments of comic relief, and emotional impact without becoming manipulative or schmaltzy. If you can look past this offering’s minor shortcomings, you’ll come away from it having had a moving and insightful cinema experience, as well as a thoughtful meditation on when it’s time to stay and when to go.