Customer Reviews

Time to Leave

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

François Ozon (Water Drops on Burning Rocks, 8 Women, Swimming Pool, 5X2) is one of the most fascinatingly talented French directors on the scene today. His films have a simplicity, a direct approach to the mind and the heart, and an extreme respect for both his actors and his audience - factors that allow him a means for communication that is rare and proves he has few equals. In LE TEMPS QUI RESTE (Time to Leave) he addresses that earth-shattering moment of being informed that death is imminent and shows us how one character copes with that information and how it changes his remaining days and his history of relating to others.

Romain (Melvil Poupaud) is a handsome and successful fashion photographer who is gay, has a lover Sasha (Christian Sengewald), but is somewhat estranged from his family. For some reason he cannot relate to his pregnant sister Sophie (Louise-Anne Hippeau) despite his mother's (Marie Rivière) pleading and his father's (Daniel Duval) distance. During a fashion shoot Romain faints, is taken to the doctor (Henri de Lorme) who informs him he has metastatic cancer for which there is little hope (except for chemotherapy and radiation therapy) that he will live past a few months. Romain opts to go without treatment and begins to face his remaining life with silent gloom. After a very sensuous sexual encounter with Sasha (Ozon holds nothing back in depicting this!), Romain decides to quit his job, tells Sasha to leave, separates from his family, and visits his beloved grandmother Laura (Jeanne Moreau, as exciting an actress as ever!) who shares her philosophy of living and dying and bonds even more closely with the grandson who mirrors her own life. Her sage wisdom is what grounds Romain.

Romain, alone, travels about France, meets a sweet couple in a cafe - Jany (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and her husband Bruno (Walter Pagano) who are unable to have children - and after consideration Romain consents to comply with their request to impregnate Jany but only if Bruno is part of a ménage a trois in the process. The couple discovers Romain is dying after Jany becomes pregnant and Romain for the first time is able to show tenderness in his relationship with them. Somewhat changed in outlook Romain returns home, has a tender talk with his father who accepts his son's sexuality, attempts a reconciliation with Sasha unsuccessfully, and even responds to a letter from Sophie. His missions completed he travels to the ocean where the film ends in one of the most beautifully subtle, tender and genuinely realistic ways.

In every way this film is satisfying. The actors are to the person excellent with Melvil Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi particularly outstanding. But the kudos go to writer/director Ozon who once again proves that his enthusiasm for his field of art is boundless. He is one of the more important figures in cinema today. A brilliant, quiet, immensely satisfying film. Grady Harp, November 06

François Ozon (Water Drops on Burning Rocks, 8 Women, Swimming Pool, 5X2) is one of the most fascinatingly talented French directors on the scene today. His films have a simplicity, a direct approach to the mind and the heart, and an extreme respect for both his actors and his audience - factors that allow him a means for communication that is rare and proves he has few equals. In LE TEMPS QUI RESTE (Time to Leave) he addresses that earth-shattering moment of being informed that death is imminent and shows us how one character copes with that information and how it changes his remaining days and his history of relating to others.

Romain (Melvil Poupaud) is a handsome and successful fashion photographer who is gay, has a lover Sasha (Christian Sengewald), but is somewhat estranged from his family. For some reason he cannot relate to his pregnant sister Sophie (Louise-Anne Hippeau) despite his mother's (Marie Rivière) pleading and his father's (Daniel Duval) distance. During a fashion shoot Romain faints, is taken to the doctor (Henri de Lorme) who informs him he has metastatic cancer for which there is little hope (except for chemotherapy and radiation therapy) that he will live past a few months. Romain opts to go without treatment and begins to face his remaining life with silent gloom. After a very sensuous sexual encounter with Sasha (Ozon holds nothing back in depicting this!), Romain decides to quit his job, tells Sasha to leave, separates from his family, and visits his beloved grandmother Laura (Jeanne Moreau, as exciting an actress as ever!) who shares her philosophy of living and dying and bonds even more closely with the grandson who mirrors her own life. Her sage wisdom is what grounds Romain.

Romain, alone, travels about France, meets a sweet couple in a cafe - Jany (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and her husband Bruno (Walter Pagano) who are unable to have children - and after consideration Romain consents to comply with their request to impregnate Jany but only if Bruno is part of a ménage a trois in the process. The couple discovers Romain is dying after Jany becomes pregnant and Romain for the first time is able to show tenderness in his relationship with them. Somewhat changed in outlook Romain returns home, has a tender talk with his father who accepts his son's sexuality, attempts a reconciliation with Sasha unsuccessfully, and even responds to a letter from Sophie. His missions completed he travels to the ocean where the film ends in one of the most beautifully subtle, tender and genuinely realistic ways.

In every way this film is satisfying. The actors are to the person excellent with Melvil Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi particularly outstanding. But the kudos go to writer/director Ozon who once again proves that his enthusiasm for his field of art is boundless. He is one of the more important figures in cinema today. A brilliant, quiet, immensely satisfying film. Grady Harp, November 06

This movie joins two of my favorite artists now working in film:
director Francois Ozon and actor extraordinaire Melvil Poupaud. This
movie is beautifully shot, exquisitely seductive in many parts and
finally movingly sad. A true work of art. Ozon is the best thing to
happen to movies since Almodovar. And Melvil Poupaud is not only one of
the best actors of his generation but he is also sexy beyond belief.
Bravo to all involved.

I hope that Ozon will work again with Melvil because the two are exquisite together. It is like watching Almodovar's work with Penelope Cruz or Carmen Maura.

Melvil Poupaud should be an international star any time soon.

Although I can't say I love it, there is much to admire in "Time to Leave", in which the protagonist, 31-year old Romain (Melvil Poupaud) who has been diagnosed with malignant brain cancer, chooses to make his amends with the various people in his life: his sister with whom he has a contentious relationship, his lover, his father. Suddenly, the squabbles of Romain's life seem petty in the face of imminent mortality; the harsh reality of his impending doom forces him to grow up quickly. Romain, by his own admission, is not particularly likable; although I found Romain to be essentially good, I didn't feel tremendous empathy for him. Ozon portrays Romain's struggle realistically, but with too much sentimentality. There are several scenes/flashbacks in which Romain encounters himself as a child, a technique I found to be mawkish. Jeanne Moreau has a small yet touching role as Laura, Romain's grandmother; her participation is what first attracted me to this film. Romain chooses to confide in Laura over anyone else in his life, since she, like him, is "closer to death"; he suddenly questions the importance of all the people in his life, and whether or not he loves, or ever has loved, anyone. Perhaps in an attempt to solve that dilemma, Romain decides to commit an act of love, literally and metaphorically, by impregnating Jany (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), the roadside waitress cafe, whose husband is sterile.

I was intrigued by Ozon's representation of a gay bar backroom/darkroom in "Time to Leave". To Ozon's credit, I haven't seen any examples of this kind of MSM environment in LGBT-themed American pictures. Conversely, Ozon's darkroom could be described as "suburban". But then, to have juxtaposed a gritty underground gay reality, internationally omnipresent rainbow flags notwithstanding, against Romain's bourgeois, heterosexual family of origin would have been jarring. Finally, I have mixed feelings about the ending of "Time to Leave", which I found to be visually compelling, and yet cliché (IE the setting sun as a metaphor for death). I am a fan of Ozon's other pictures (particularly "8 Women" and "Potiche"; "Sitcom" shows the influence of John Waters), and although I respect his ability to switch easily between the two genres, frankly I prefer his comedies. The supplemental features of this DVD includes the "The Making of Time to Leave" (similarly, the DVD of Ozon's "Potiche" features "The Making of Potiche"). I found this feature to be neither educational, engaging nor informative. I love the magic of film, and I consider myself to be a student of film, but I was not captivated by this documentary.

Stephen C. Bird, author of "Hideous Exuberance: A Satire"

((Here is my approach to obtaining/viewing/reviewing Gay tales in film form. Simply, it's seeking the holy grail of that genre, the "Addictive Film"---that movie one returns to time and again. Selection/purchase is based mainly on finding new releases by favorite directors/screenwriters and/or on comments/reviews by others of you at major online film sales/review sites. Re your reviews, sometimes I feel correctly steered (the "Keepers" filling my DVD shelves), other times mislead, occasionally badly (the "Throwaways"---and I do toss 'em). Rarely, I come across the "Addictive," those watchable every couple of months or so (see below starred *** area for a list......and some of the "near-Addictive" as well). For some movies, I'll want to share a full review with you, as follows for this film. Thanks for sticking with me so far.))

(Message to the Director:......Ah, Francois.....Francois, if your intent was to give us a heart shatteringly sad tale, you've succeeded only too well. Yet, in the end, you have also given us---in Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's character of Jany---a glimpse of Romain's redemption.)

This is one of the most despairingly heart-rending films you are likely to see: the tale of a dying young man who, perhaps unwisely, decides not to share his impending death (and choice not to fight overwhelming odds) with anyone close to him. This is true for everyone, except a beloved grandmother, and goes even so far as to include driving away a lover.

The resulting loneliness and feelings of loss this amazing French actor (Melvil Poupaud) causes us to share with him are overwhelming; at times we're struck almost physically---not just emotionally. As we watch him, body wasting away (for that is really what the young actor did in taking on this role), we almost painfully feel our own bodies contracting, diminishing. There are moments when we want to physically strike him for his behavior, though even more there are instants we want to take him into our arms.....let him know that he is not alone.....that some way, at such times, we are all connected.

Jumping to the Final Scene: Romain has withdrawn from the world......we then see a 'sun-setting' world withdraw from him (yes, you do actually see that........the symbolism is heart wrenching).

PS--Letting you in on a little secret, after viewing this film one has only to look again at the cover of the DVD.......to unerringly 'know' how Romain's life truly ends / begins. All becomes clear.

PPS--Obviously I strongly disagree with reviewers who, principally, can find only the negative in Romain. He is (was), after all, only too human.

****

This movie is worth watching and I'm very much glad that I did. The plot and ending are extremely moving and is a great exploration into relationships of varying kinds vs. how we feel we should satisfy ourselves. Although the main character is gay, this is not a central theme of the film, the ideas portrayed here are applicable with anyone. I didn't give the movie 5 stars because of some unanswered issues in the storyline, which could be seen as part of the plot, but overall very well done. Again, I very much enjoyed this film and recommend it.

The French are such masters of telling stories of love, life, family, sex and death. They are also not afraid to end a movie on a sad and tearjerker of a moment - without a happy fairytale ending. Channel 4 re-ran this movie during the early hours of this morning and I am so pleased I saw it. Feeling tired I was just not able to switch it off and go to sleep as I found it a thoroughly hypnotic film.

The film followed a very handsome gay man (Melvil Poupaud) who finding out he was going to die self-destructed before our eyes. He pushed all the people he loved far away from him so he could die alone saving them from the heartache of watching his world collapse. Only his Grandmother (played by the actress, screenwriter and director Jeanne Moreau) shared his traumatic realisation.

My only disappointment with this movie was I wish it had gone on a little long and expanded the story a little further as the various scenes which paint the progressing story were just so beautifully directed by François Ozon and artistically shot. Definitely a movie to watch and reflect on!

i feel this flick is about beauty, ultimately: else, why would francois choose melvil poupaud, one of the most etherially beautiful men in cinema, to play the lead? only eduardo norriega is comparable. the beauty of choices, the beauty of dying with one's dignity intact (even if that means dying alone), the beauty of real relationships, the beauty of one's home (whether that be a place or a state of mind).

one of the crew members in the featurette described melvil as looking like christ: when he is skeletally thin and shorn of his lovely, curly locks, his beauty is not diminished, just changed -- it is ethereal, unearthly, preternatural. very like the achingly, exquisite beauty of the christ of the pieta. here is a beauty which is both cerebral and visceral; no escape from it's power. there is no escape from the power of this film, either; it latches on and does not let go. take the ride; you shall not regret the time spent in such beauty with such exalted company.

What a sensuous, compelling, hypnotic movie. I am unfamiliar with director Francois Ozon's other films, but after watching "Time To Leave," I will make it a point to rent those as well.

"Time To Leave" is a bittersweet story about a young, French fashion photographer, Romain (sexy, handsome Melvil Poupaud), who learned he had terminal cancer and a short time to live. Rejecting his doctor's wish that he undergo debilitating chemotherapy to fight the disease (he had less than a five percent chance of beating it), Romain accepted his fate and began to tie up the loose ends of his life, which included severing his relationship with his dependent male lover, rebonding with his paternal grandmother, mending his split with his sister, expressing love to his father, and creating a grandson for his mother (not an easy feat since he was a homosexual man who had to physically impregnate a woman willing to bear his child).

Romain's childhood was carefully interwoven with his adult life and was a testament to the fact that no matter how long we live or what we experience, in spirit, we remain children. The music score is as sensitive and haunting as the movie--a perfect collaboration.

The death scene was exquisite. It reminded me of the final scenes of the movies, "A Death in Venice" and "Ask The Dusk," which also occurred at the beach. In this instance, Romain, now a pale, skeletal ghost of himself, took one last swim in the ocean, lay tired and worn on the beach as suntanned children dashed about laughing and playing, then slipped away gently and quietly to the Other Side. As he had desired, he died alone. It was indeed his time to leave.

Although the subject of this film was the physical deterioration and death of the main character, the movie was not depressing. In its own way, it was uplifting. I would have rated this movie 5 stars if it had included a few of the deleted scenes that would have better defined the storyline. I would have also added more scenes illustrating Romain's rapidly deteriorating health.

"Time to Leave" is Francois Ozon's version of a melodrama/tearjerker in the same vein as the Bette Davis films of the 30's and 40's particularly "Dark Victory." His take on the musical, "8 Women" is weird, stylish, over-the-top but ultimately successful. "Swimming Pool" is a sexual thriller with style to burn and features a nude scene by Charlotte Rampling: all glorious 60 years of her.
Ozon's central character Romain (Melvil Poupaud) is selfish and pouty and the fact that he is dying from cancer does not make him less so. After learning that he will die soon, Romain tells no one, proceeds to thoughtlessly dismiss his lover, brutally insult his sister at a family gathering and generally act as thoughtless as one who is dying has a right to. It can go either way, can't it? Facing imminent death do you let loose with a fury of invective and self-loathing or do you forget the past and attempt to make amends for a life not particularly well lived. For the most part, Romain chooses the former until he seeks out his grandmother (the still radiant Jean Moreau who adds much needed humanity and thoughtfulness here): his shield dissolves and he looks for and receives warmth and love. When Grams asks him why he has chosen to tell her about his impending death, he says "It's because you are also so close to death...you will understand." Weak, self-centered, passive-aggressive hogwash.
Though Melvil Poupaud does a good job as Romain and Ozon structures and stages his inevitable death as if Romain is Manon in "Manon Lescaut," Romain remains an unabashed anti-hero: one whose first concern is himself and though a subplot involves Romain valiantly donating his sperm to a childless couple...one that you can't help but despise yet nonetheless grudgingly admire for his single-minded rage against an inevitable death without letting go of his basic, though loathsome nature.