It's noteworthy for the performances of Melvil Poupard as Romaine and Jeanne Moreau as the grandmother-two people facing their own mortality, and trying to exit this world with grace and dignity.
Time to Leave (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 50
Fresh: 38
Rotten:12
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Consensus: A reflective look at our own mortality through the experience of a middle-aged French man, Time To Leave manages to pull at our heart strings without resorting to cliches, and leaves a lasting impression.
Theatrical Release:Jul 14, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Melvil Poupaud gives an extraordinary, complex performance in TIME TO LEAVE (LE TEMPS QUI RESTE), written and directed by iconoclastic French auteur François Ozon (8 WOMEN, SWIMMING POOL). Poupaud... Melvil Poupaud gives an extraordinary, complex performance in TIME TO LEAVE (LE TEMPS QUI RESTE), written and directed by iconoclastic French auteur François Ozon (8 WOMEN, SWIMMING POOL). Poupaud stars as Romain, a selfish, self-absorbed fashion photographer who is suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer. Not wanting anyone to know about his illness, he brutally breaks up with his boyfriend, Sasha (Christian Sengewald), belittles his sister, Sophie (Louise-Anne Hippeau), and goes against his doctor's (Henri de Lorme) suggestion to give chemotherapy a chance. The only person he chooses to confide in is his grandmother, Laura (the legendary Jeanne Moreau), who has been estranged from the family for many years for what they considered inappropriate behavior after the loss of her husband. Knowing his time is running out, Romain travels around with a small digital camera, capturing tender moments that are very different from the high-profile fashion shoots he is used to. He finds solace with his beloved grandmother, but to everyone else he is cold and distant, seemingly going out of his way to not take the easy way out by rediscovering life and love in his final days. All the while, nearly everywhere he goes, Romain sees himself as a child (Ugo Soussan Trabelsi), as the past invades his temporary present. Beautifully acted and intelligently written, TIME TO LEAVE, the second in a proposed trilogy about life and death by Ozon (following UNDER THE SAND), is a challenging, compelling work with a simply magnificent ending. [More]
Starring: Melvil Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Daniel Duval
Starring: Melvil Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Daniel Duval, Marie Rivière
Director: Francois Ozon
Director: Francois Ozon
Producer: Olivier Delbosc, Marc Missonnier
Studio: Strand Releasing
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Reviews for Time to Leave
Una exploración muy personal, muy íntima y para nada condescendiente sobre la proximidad de la muerte a edad temprana. Muy buen elenco.
One gets the feeling while watching Time to Leave that the feisty director is, for the first time, bored by the story he's telling.
It's difficult to feel positive about Romain's acceptance of his mortality, because Ozon hasn't convinced us Romain was that alive to begin with.
takes one of the most tired movie cliches of all time -- "I'm sorry, but you only have a few months to live." -- and turns into to a totally fresh look at what it truly means to live
A touching and haunting film that is more uplifting than its central theme suggests, Time To Leave leaves us with much to reflect upon, and consider.
It's a quiet and poignant look at a life as it slips away, seen through the eyes of a character who's not always likable but remains entirely real.
Director Francois Ozon, who can define physical desire in a swift gesture or extend a moment of self-reflection with acute stillness, has become more confident and specific with each film.
Those looking for the traditional Hollywood sweetness or payoffs will walk away disappointed, but the rough-hewn film offers riches to those willing to endure its downbeat tale of detachment.
It does absolutely nothing that previous movies dealing with this subject haven't done.
The story arc from his diagnosis to his death doesn't cover much ground in Romain's life. But his emotional landscape -- the conflicts, the anger, the sadness, the acceptance -- offers much more depth.
Modern audiences are more likely to find the character's behavior to be extremely frustrating, undercutting any sympathetic response one might have for his situation.
The entire film is a balancing trick, with scenes of potential banality redeemed at the last by a subtle twist or subversion. In their conflicted expressions, the performers prove themselves experts at their own high-wire acts.
Simply treats death as life's final curveball, with Romain solemnly and bravely letting the hourglass trickle down as it will.
Latest News for Time to Leave
July 13, 2006:
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This week at the movies, we've got some unwanted houseguests, in the guise of a guy with a bad case of arrested development ("You, Me and Dupree," starring Owen... More...
June 15, 2006:
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Maria Maggenti's "Puccini For Beginners" will open the 30th annual Frameline Film Festival this week in San Francisco, headlining one of the largest and... More...
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