Breath of Life

If there is still any doubt that Mr Jérémie Rénier is one of the European 's greatest actors , see "l'Ordre Des Médecins ", a first effort by Mr David Roux , a masterstoke ;taking a subject as old as the hills (a mother dying in a hospital where his son is a seasoned lung specialist ) ,Roux avoids sentimentalism and pathos ,achieving a delicate balance between an almost documentary approach and an unusually human compassion ; many scenes come to mind : after the end (not shown on the screen) ,father and son desperately embrace each other in a dark room;the terminally-ill mom,saying her life has been a fullfilled one and that she can go;her last words spoken could be "all is well ,all is peace" ;the sequence when the whole family savors ice-creams in the garden echoes it ("isn't lemon taste wonderful,mom? and just have a taste of apricot") the young doctor, bursting into tears after saving a patient .

Jeremie Rénier,since his breakthrough with Ozon's disturbing "Les Amants Criminels" (1999),has proved he was able to play anything: from the last ,lonely and wretched guy ("L'Enfant" by the Dardenne bros ) to a pop singer ("Clo-Clo" )to self-assured lung specialist facing a situation which undermines the fondations of his world;a world which is not rosy every day : the scene in which Rénier took my breath away is when he scolds a young intern who has just said to a young patient suffering from mucovisdicosis that they would save her : and in spite of his ruthless words ,Rénier achieves the incredible feat of remaining endearing to the audience .

Matching him every step of the way is Marthe Keller's portrayal of a dying mother ;co-incidentally ,miss Keller had ,some forty years ago ,portrayed a terminally-ill woman opposite Al Pacino in "Bobby Deefield";she shows here that, unlike some her colleagues lost in the current "feel good" French scene,she can age gracefully.;spare of words and gestures ,she expresses everything with her looks.

But whereas the patient remains resigned to her fate, the husband does not accept it: "I'm fifteen years her senior,I should have gone first!" or " I 'd like best your mom to be in your service ,I'd be easier in my mind ";terse answer by the son: "it wouldn't make a difference".

And much to Roux' s credit ,no song in English ,as it is often the case with his "trendy " colleagues. Joe Dassin' s "C'Est La Vie Lily " provides the movie with one of his rare playful moments; "Donne-Moi La Main" is the equivalent of the poster ,the man with bright prospects who for the first time in his career needs a helping hand and who feels helpless and lonely in his tragedy .

Yes ,Mister Roux will be a name to be reckoned with,in the years to come.I would highly recommend this work,but only for people with a strong heart.