FILM CHALLENGE: 77) Leaving

77) Leaving

Director: Cathering Corsini
Year: 2010

Plot Summary: Suzanne is a well to do married woman and mother in the south of France. Her idle bourgeois lifestyle gets her down and she decides to go back to work as a physiotherapist. Her husband agrees to fix up a consulting room for her in their backyard. When Suzanne and the man hired to do the building meet, the mutual attraction is sudden and violent. Suzanne decides to give up everything and live this all engulfing passion to the fullest.

Leaving is an intimate drama about affairs. It explores the reasons why a woman like Suzanne - who, on the outside, seems to have everything - would want to throw it all away for another man and it explores the consequences of these actions.

The former, which makes up the first half of the film, doesn't really amount to anything special. Aside from a few hints at Suzanne's repression, which are symbolised by a contrast in the jail cell like house she lives in and the open countryside of Spain where her the builder lives, it's all very obvious stuff.

However, the latter, which makes up the second half of Leaving, is actually very interesting viewing. While many love stories end on the high note, leaving the audice to assume that the couple will live happily ever after, Leaving's happiest moment appears in the middle of the film as Suzanne tells Ivan that leaving her husband for him was "the happiest day of her life". From here on out, we watch the couple try and make a living for themselves in France while Suzanne's husband uses his political powers to stop Ivan's building company from receiving any contracts and refuses to give Suzanne any money.

Thanks to another unbelievable performance by Kristen Scott Thomas who seems to slip into this character effortlessly, as well as the supporting cast of Sergi Lopez and Yvan Attal, this last 45 minutes of the movie is very moving. Moreover, the subtle and simplistic style of Catherine Corsini should be praised as well.

While it's not a particularly memorable movie, Leaving is interesting, moving and is worth watching simply for some outstanding performances.

3/5

By Daniel Sarath with No comments