42. More Than Ever (Plus que jamais); movie review

 

MORE THAN EVER (PLUS QUE JAMAIS)

Cert 15

123 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong sex

More Than Ever was an incredibly hard watch, given that Mrs W is currently a month away from cancer surgery.

For obvious reasons, I didn't subject her Emily Atef's movie about a young woman and her gradual drift towards the last days of her life.

While I think the movie was very well made with an exceptional central performance by Vicky Krieps, I found it profoundly depressing.

Krieps plays Hélène who is coming to terms with a diagnosis which means only a very risky lung transplant would save her.

She is a lost soul with a desire for a peaceful end, while her husband, Matthieu (Gaspard Ulliel) is desperate for her to fight to survive.

Atef's film works because the characters are drawn so realistically and played with such impressive empathy.

Obviously, Matthieu's outlook resonated more with me - I would have come from exactly the same place as him in similar circumstances.

However, Hélène is losing the will because she is critically ill - she has hard-to-watch coughing fits which often lead to her being dangerously out of breath.

Thus, she goes online to seek a mentor who has been through comparable pain and finds one (Bjørn Floberg) with the pseudonym of Mister.

Hélène seeks more meaningful diversions as her illness progresses while Matthieu treads on metaphorical eggshells as he tries to change her mind.

It is a very moving film and will provoke a gamut of opinions and feelings from its audience.

I thought its denouement was far-fetched but, overall, it certainly hits a mark.

Reasons to watch: Draws great empathy

Reasons to avoid: Upsetting scenes

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: No but constant coughing

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know?  The first human lung transplantation was performed on June 11, 1963 at the University Hospital, Jackson, Mississippi by James D Hardy and his team.

The final word. Emily Atef: "Ever since I was little, I have often thought about this end-of-life moment. How can we not follow the social injunction or the desire of our loved ones, but find our own way of welcoming illness and, if necessary, death? Hélène's story is about that."

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