Everything Went Fine
dir. François Ozon · 2021
The struggle for autonomy in the face of suffering reveals the complexities of love and the right to choose one's own end.
Emmanuèle receives a call that her father André has suffered a stroke, thrusting her into a whirlwind of hospital visits and difficult decisions. As she grapples with his wish for assisted death, the film unfolds with a poignant exploration of familial bonds and the moral dilemmas surrounding autonomy and care. Watching it feels like a slow, reflective walk through the corridors of memory and regret, where every conversation carries the weight of unspoken truths.
French writer Emmanuèle Bernheim (Sophie Marceau) is in the middle of writing a novel when she receives a phone call: Her 84-year-old father André (André Dussollier) is in intensive care after suffering a stroke. When Emmanuèle and her sister Pascale (Géraldine Pailhas) visit their father, they find a semi-paralyzed man instead of their moody father - a former industrialist and passionate art collector. While everything necessary is done in hospital to help André recover from his stroke, Pascale and Emmanuèle take care of the organizational side of things and also arrange a visit from her mother Claude (Charlotte Rampling), who has been mentally and physically unwell for some time. The marriage is on the rocks because André has had a lover for a long time. André is unwilling to accept that he will never be able to live independently again. One day, he takes Emmanuèle aside and reveals his dearest wish to her: he wants to die. After an initial shock, Emmanuèle decides to help André, but his wish is met with a great deal of incomprehension, and euthanasia is forbidden in France.
Talking points
- the ethics of assisted dying
- the complexities of familial love
- the impact of aging on relationships
- the intersection of art and personal experience
