Review by Doug Cooper
Stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Sergi Lopez, Yvan Attal, Bernard Blancan, Aladin Reibel, Alexandre Vidal, Daisy Broom, Berta Esquirol, Gérard Lartigau, Geneviève Casile, Philippe Laudenbach
Written by Catherine Corsini & Gaelle Mace
Certification UK 15 | Australia MA
Runtime 85 minutes
Directed by Catherine Corsini
Kristin Scott Thomas's performance in this subtitled French drama takes her to a new plane – in a way she's inherited the mantle from Charlotte Rampling as a sensual, sophisticated lady unafraid to explore her sexuality.
She plays Suzanne, a middle-aged wife and mother, bored with marriage to her husband (Attal) and now with little to do as her teenage children are becoming independent. She returns to her work as a psychotherapist and meets handyman Ivan (Lopez), a former convict who has been employed to do some odd jobs for them. When he tries to save her car rolling down a hill after she has mistakenly let the brake off, he is injured and then hospitalised. She feels enormously guilty over the accident.
A sexual spark is ignited however and they embark on a passionate affair. She completely loses her head over him, sacrificing her marriage and rich lifestyle with all its attendant trappings to live in penury with her lover. In one very effective scene her credit card fails at a service station and she tries to hawk her wristwatch for cash in order to pay for petrol. This new relationship reaches breaking point though after a theft is discovered. It's a solid drama, absorbing and very well acted. Scott Thomas gives full vent to her character's frustrations and feelings convincingly, with Lopez a persuasive foil for her. Attal hasn't much to do as her cuckolded husband but act hurt and enraged but he accomplishes it with finesse.
This scenario has been told countless times before but Catherine Corsini's direction deftly explores the main character's travails with style and a bewitching economy. Why can't more movies be 85 minutes in length? Leaving is a rewarding effort with some lovely French locations and a keen sense of priorities. It gets to the heart of the matter without wasting time and is a mature and perceptive piece that's worth seeing if you're of a serious and intelligent frame of mind.