Certificate: 15 (strong sex). Running Time: 123 mins. UK Distributor: Modern Films
WHO’S IN IT?
Vicky Krieps, Gaspard Ulliel, Bjørn Floberg, Sophie Langevin, Valérie Bodson, Jérémy Barbier d’Hiver, Marion Cadeau, Yacine Sif El Islam, Estelle Kerkor, Nathalie Man, Baptiste Girard, Tom Linton, Bess Davies, Astrid Overaa, Cyril Atef, Jesper Christensen
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Emily Atef (director, writer), Lars Hubrich (writer), Xénia Maingot (producer), Jon Balke (composer), Yves Cape (cinematographer), Sandie Bompar and Hansjörg Weißbrich (editors)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A terminally ill woman (Krieps) leaves behind her husband (Ulliel) for a soul-searching trip to Norway…
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON MORE THAN EVER?
Even death, and all its baggage, takes two to tango. So often in cinema, particularly a number of romantic dramas, is there such a large focus on couples dealing with one (or even both) facing imminent passing from terminal illness, that the thought of handling everything on one’s own might as well be a taboo way of thinking.
That alone makes filmmaker Emily Atef’s quietly contemplative feature More Than Ever feel somewhat radical, because it dares to suggest that, regardless of how much the central two characters love each other, sometimes it is best to not have anyone by your side in this impossible situation.
The film begins with Hélène (Vicky Krieps), a Luxembourgian woman living in France with her husband Mathieu (Gaspard Ulliel, who tragically passed away last year shortly after production wrapped), finding it hard to live and socialise with a rare lung disease, and most frustrating of all the sympathy that her friends and family pile upon her. Retreating online, she comes across a blog run by a Norwegian man known as “Mister” (Bjørn Floberg), a cancer patient whose tranquil images soon inspire Hélène to travel alone to his secluded home by the fjords in Norway, much to the concern of Mathieu, who would rather she stay around on the off chance that a new set of lungs be available for transplant. Once there, Hélène begins to contemplate the time she has left, and how exactly she wishes to spend her final days, which begins to drive an emotional wedge between her and her loving husband.
Refusing to be drawn into easy sympathy for its terminally ill protagonist, Atef approaches the situation with an acute awareness of the fact that Hélène, played with devastating spirit by Krieps, can come across as rather selfish. However, the trick that both Atef and Krieps play is that the character never comes across as unlikeable or even irrational, but instead as someone who is slowly coming to an extremely difficult decision where she must put herself first. In Hélène’s mind, she is making a choice that, while seemingly unfair to others who care deeply for her, may well be the best way for her to not only regain control of what little life she has left, but to also help her loving spouse move on rather than have him waste his time on the fruitless endeavour of extending her life however possible. Through her gentle direction, and via some gorgeous cinematography capturing the vast Norwegian fjords, Atef allows the viewer to understand her line of thinking as she considers her best move forward, while Krieps brings out a refreshing sense of matter-of-factness in her performance which asks the viewer to see her as someone with flaws rather than simply a dying saint.
By letting the viewer step back and see the harsh reality of an already difficult situation, More Than Ever manages to find its way to the tender emotional core with a lot more ease, as rough to take in as it may be. Neither of our two central lovers – the other played by a compellingly desolate Gaspard Ulliel, a talent taken from us far too soon – are entirely right or entirely wrong on their respective sides of the argument, but because life has dealt them this brutal hand, they are both compelled to face the heart-breaking truth that their eternal romance is most likely about to come to an end, and must find a way to salvage their own souls as a result. The tender conflict is very much apparent during some deeply intimate sex scenes, where both actors surrender themselves to the on-screen passion in extended sequences that call to attention the difficulties that come with both Hélène’s illness (an early such sequence is rudely halted by a coughing fit) and their inability to fully let each other go.
It’s a film that takes a little while getting to its core point, within a two-hour runtime that honestly could be trimmed ever so slightly, but once it does it’s hard to ignore the gentle power of this very honest and admirably harsh romance drama, wherein you can feel the devastation of the situation but also the rationalisation of the decisions which our central characters begin leaning toward. Though it may be hard to take in, sometimes allowing someone the space and dignity to dictate their own terms in this type of situation may be the healthiest decision of all, and More Than Ever isn’t afraid to state that while also remaining deeply romantic in its own, unique way.
SO, TO SUM UP…
More Than Ever is a quietly effective romantic drama that explores the dire, and even selfish, choices made to combat a devastating situation, which is fuelled by gentle direction by Emily Atef, and two captivating central performances by Vicky Krieps and the late Gaspard Ulliel.
