Jean-Baptiste Emmerich, "a minor master of the mid-twentieth century," seems confident that his friends and admirers won't mind an overnight trip to Limoges—site of Europe's largest cemetery, we're told—to see him get a proper sendoff. Director Chéreau and screenwriter Danièle Thompson seem to feel that the inconvenience of a fidgety camera, murky lighting and an often baffling screenplay, especially in the opening scenes, won't detract from the pleasures of this excursion. Thompson doesn't believe in expository dialogue, so the only backstory we get is a brief recorded interview with the deceased and a few scraps of gossip exchanged by the travelers ("she raped him once in a hotel in Madrid in 1952"). Many of the characters, as noted, are brusque and unpleasant; two of them are strung-out junkies. This film reminded me of an Iris Murdoch novel, where I'd have to reread the first 30 pages once I'd gotten straight who all these people were.
Having said all that, the second time through (this isn't one for the "I want the last two hours of my life back!" crowd), I found the storyline fascinating. And luckily there's some relief in the second half of the film, when Trintignant turns up as the deceased's twin brother, a kindly old gentleman who bonds with two of his more intriguing visitors—a manga-obsessed little girl and a striking pre-op tranny played by Vincent Perez. I wasn't too taken with the brittle gay couple who are (more or less) the principal characters, but all in all I'd recommend this film to anyone who's enjoyed serious French ensemble dramas like "Summer Hours" and "Va Savoir." Great pop-music soundtrack, from the Doors to Jeff Buckley to some kind of Andalusian marching band.
Having said all that, the second time through (this isn't one for the "I want the last two hours of my life back!" crowd), I found the storyline fascinating. And luckily there's some relief in the second half of the film, when Trintignant turns up as the deceased's twin brother, a kindly old gentleman who bonds with two of his more intriguing visitors—a manga-obsessed little girl and a striking pre-op tranny played by Vincent Perez. I wasn't too taken with the brittle gay couple who are (more or less) the principal characters, but all in all I'd recommend this film to anyone who's enjoyed serious French ensemble dramas like "Summer Hours" and "Va Savoir." Great pop-music soundtrack, from the Doors to Jeff Buckley to some kind of Andalusian marching band.