by Alyssa De Leo
Worth: $16.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Hélène Vincent, Pierre Lottin, David Ayala, Juliette Gasquet
Intro:
… a wonderful film and an unabashed absolute crowd-pleaser.
Marie (Hélène Vincent) is an 80-year-old woman who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Determined to avoid the pain that will eventually consume her, and instead end her life on her own terms, she decides to travel to Switzerland to undergo legal assisted suicide. However, she doesn’t know how to tell her son Bruno (David Ayala) and granddaughter Anna (Juliette Gasquet).
This is when she encounters Rudy (Pierre Lottin), a caregiver who reluctantly becomes her driver for the journey to Switzerland. Bruno and Anna come along too, but Marie has invented an elaborate lie in order to spare their feelings, saying the purpose of the trip is to collect a family inheritance. As they all set off in an old camper van, relationships grow, tensions arise and the clock ticks, with Marie all too aware that she will have to tell her family the truth sooner or later.
Director Enya Baroux’s film is genuinely warm, entertaining and extremely touching, using intergenerational relationships to explore grief and the devastatingly difficult art of letting go. It’s got the perfect tonal balance of comedic and dramatic beats, which allows the severity and heaviness of certain plot points to be executed with levity and humanity.
First and foremost, this is an ensemble piece, and every character is thoughtfully fleshed out and given the proper time and care to make sure that the audience also cares. Nobody is sidelined, which elevates the delightful dynamic that the cast share. Vincent, Ayala and Lottin are all excellent, but it is young Gasquet who really performs above and beyond as a moody teenager going through her own struggles.
The topic of assisted dying is always a controversial one, but the narrative handles this subject matter with sensitivity. It validates both the family’s struggle to accept Marie’s decision, as well as her own right and autonomy as to how she will leave the world.
Bon Voyage, Marie is a wonderful film and an unabashed absolute crowd-pleaser.
