Two sisters learn that their terminally ill father wants to die voluntarily. But in their country, France, euthanasia is illegal. It is legal in neighboring Switzerland, and the father insists that he be taken to a private Swiss clinic to be euthanized.
This conflict, dedicated to the empathy of the public, is indeed played out in the new film by the famous French director François Ozon Tout va bien. The film has been screened in New York since April 14 and will be released in Los Angeles a week later, after which distribution company Cohen Media Group will release it in other US cities.
Recall that the world premiere of it took place in the summer of 2021 at the Cannes Film Festival. The main roles in the film are played by André Dussolier, Sophie Marceau, Géraldine Pelas, Hanna Shigulla and Charlotte Rampling.
The screenplay for the film Everything went well, written by the director himself, is based on the autobiographical novel of the same title by Emmanuelle Bernheim. François Ozon, 55, is one of the most talented and productive filmmakers in contemporary France. Such tapes as “Criminal Lovers”, “8 Women”, “Pool”, “Under the Sand”, “By the Will of God”, “Franz”, “Summer of 85th” brought him great fame.
Sophie Marceau and André Dussolier. Credit: Cohen Media Group
Her previous film, Peter von Kant, is a loose remake of the 1972 chamber drama The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Francois Ozon is openly gay, and in each of his paintings, in one form or another, the theme of homosexual love and the life of representatives of the LGBTQ community are addressed.
French writer Emmanuelle Bernheim has previously collaborated with Ozon on films such as Under the Sand, Pool and Ricky. She died of cancer in 2017, a few years after her memoir Everything Was Fine was published. She is well known in French film circles, in part because she was married to Serge Toubian, a well-known film critic, director of the Cinémathèque and editor of the film history magazine Cahiers du Cinémas.
In Everything went well, she described in detail how, together with her sister Pascal, she followed the instructions of her 85-year-old father, André, who was paralyzed after a stroke. André decides to resort to euthanasia, so that, without waiting for natural care, he puts an end to his agony himself. Since helping suicides carry out their plan remains illegal in France, the sisters establish a link with a representative of a clinic in Switzerland, where euthanasia is authorized.
André Bernheim is an art collector, a man with a complex character. He is bisexual and, in addition to his daughters and his wife, he is visited by his former lover in the hospital. André is played by André Dussolier, Alain Resnais’ favorite actor.
The beloved daughter of André Emmanuelle is interpreted with reserve, in halftones, by Sophie Marceau, one of the leading actresses in France. With Emmanuelle, without too much desire, her youngest daughter, Pascal, agrees to help her father die alone. This role was played by Geraldine Pelas, who often starred in Ozon.
Sophie Marceau as Emmanuelle. Credit: Cohen Media Group
The sisters will have to overcome many bureaucratic hurdles in order to fulfill their father’s last wish. The situation is complicated by its difficult nature. Being in serious condition in the hospital, he continues to express long-standing grievances and discontent while visiting relatives.
Iconic British actress Charlotte Rampling, who starred in Ozone’s first film Beneath the Sand, plays sculptor Claude, André’s wife, who has dementia, from whom they have separated. Another legendary European actress, German Hanna Schigulla, who recently appeared in Ozon in the drama Peter von Kant, played a delicate and even somewhat sickening employee of the Swiss clinic where André is sent. Literally – the last path.
Sophie Marceau and Charlotte Rampling. Credit: Cohen Media Group
“Honesty and depth of thought riveted the viewer to the screen,” – says Hollywood Reporter columnist David Rooney in his review.
Variety critic Guy Lodge spares no compliments: “Convincingly strong, unexpectedly strong, elegantly written, the actors are bewitching, astonishing Sophie Marceau and André Dussolier as daughter and father.
In an interview with Josh Slater-Williams for the British Film Institute (BFI) website, Francois Ozon explained why he had never filmed Sophie Marceau before and only cast her now in the title role.
“We all grew up watching films with Sophie Marceau, and Boum, in which she made her debut, was extremely popular with teenagers of my generation,” said the director. – I offered her several times to cooperate, for the first time in the “5×2” table, and each time she politely said “no”. But this time, I had a hunch she would agree, because this story should resonate with her own life. I sent her a book by Emmanuelle Bernheim, she read it in one day, called me and said: ok, it’s time for us to collaborate.
François Ozon describes his film as a thriller on a socially important subject.
“The viewer doesn’t know what the police are going to do,” he said in an interview. – As in the book, events unfold quickly. There is no time to think, the shock of what is happening is overwhelming. I want the viewer to think for themselves: what would I do in such a situation?
Movie frame. Credit: Cohen Media Group
Ozon has a solid reputation as a versatile director who knows how and enjoys working in a variety of genres. “I know a lot of people don’t like that,” he said. “They would have preferred that I plow a track. But I like playing as a child, with different genres. I like the rich potential of cinema. And each time, I choose an experience and strive for new challenges.
Film experts believe that the theme of euthanasia, announced in Ozon’s film, will arouse increased interest among American viewers. As you know, euthanasia is prohibited by law in most US states. According to CNN, medical assistance in implementing voluntary death is only permitted in ten states in the United States and the District of Columbia.
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