Last Breath

The screenplay of Last Breath is based on an essay by Regis Debray and Claude Grange. Ably avoiding the possible boredom of philosophical discourse, Costa-Gavras turns the text into a series of passionate conversations about life and death between the two men, Dr. Augustin Masset and writer Fabrice Toussaint, turning their stories into short films that lend color and emotion to the conversations.

Throughout his long and productive career, the director has always advocated for a cinema with a conscience and has never downplayed the social commentary in his films, which is sometimes ironic, sometimes deadly serious, sometimes humorous, like this one.  He has talked about unemployment, migration, Nazis and collaborators including the Vatican, Brexit and financial “rescues”. He has received almost every award, from Oscars to Palms and Bears.  But his last films lacked the energy of the earlier ones. That makes this film even more impressive, because it is honestly moving; not sentimental but realistically sensitive. The audience can relate to some of the cases and then ask themselves the same questions: how would I like to die? And since I can’t choose the when, then where?

Like so many stages in our lives, Hollywood has influenced our view of the last moments of life, death and the rituals related to them.  Of course we have seen a lot of people dying in films, but it seems only those who died  young, and who were almost always beautiful, are worth the tears and the sorrow. This is a grown-up version of death, where you can name death without synonyms and euphemisms. Itt doesn’t refuse to talk about the economical and social cost of the aging population, but also talks about euthanasia and the importance of elderly people in our so-called civilized society. In the film, a Senegalese diplomat  complains about the care given in France to the people who are dying.  He says that in Senegal people are not enclosed in small rooms to die alone, but remain at home surrounded by their family. Well, it will not take a village but whole nations to change the conversation. And most certainly that is why Costa-Gavras is making this film, to incite another revolution.

The noteworthy cast includes some of Europe’s greatest stars, including Denis Podalydès, Angela Molina, Charlotte Rampling, Hiam Abbass.