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La Vie des morts
1991 Drama
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Credits
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Director: Arnaud Desplechin
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Script: Arnaud Desplechin
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Photo: Eric Gautier
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Music: Marjolaine Ott, Fritz Sommer, Marc Oliver Sommer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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Cast: Thibault de Montalembert (Christian Mac Gillis),
Roch Leibovici (Yvan Mac Gillis),
Marianne Denicourt (Pascale Mac Gillis),
Bernard Ballet (Edouard Mac Gillis),
Suzel Goffre (Irina Lenehan),
Laurence Côte (Isabelle Lenehan),
Benoît Brione (Charles O'Madden Burke),
Laurent Schilling (Tony O'Madden Burke),
Emmanuel Salinger (Bob O'Madden Burke),
Emmanuelle Devos (Laurence O'Madden Burke),
André Cellier (Père Fitzsimmons),
Hélène Roussel (Nell O'Madden Burke),
Elisabeth Maby (Jeanne Fitzsimmons),
Suzanne Waters (Dolly Mac Gillis),
Eric Bonicatto (Paul Lenehan),
Gregori Baquet (Simon Lenehan),
Georges Rucki (Le prêtre),
Nita Klein (Illy),
Louis-Do de Lencquesaing (Nicolas),
Nicolas Koretzky (Alexandre)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 54 min
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Summary
After a young man attempts to commit suicide, his family and friends spend a night together
in a house whilst he lies between life and death in a hospital bed. Fearing the
worst, three generations await the news that is sure to come, and as they do so the meaninglessness
of their own lives becomes apparent…
Review
This dark study in living with death and its consequences marked the directorial debut
of Arnaud Desplechin, who would go on to win critical acclaim with his subsequent full
length films, La
Sentinelle (1992) and
Comment je me suis disputé (ma vie sexuelle)
(1996). Although lacking in content and occasionally marred by pretentious
dialogue, La Vie des morts is stylistically brilliant.
The sombre cinematography conveys an intense mood of existentialist angst, which the repressed
acting performances can only amplify. It is a thoughtful meditation on how human
beings face up to their own mortality, not overly profound, but strangely compelling and
hauntingly poetic.
© James Travers 2006
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