Das Leben der Toten

The first work of the director of the exceptional ROIS & RIENE and JIMMY P. has his characteristic family gathering subject and fields a young Emanuelle Devos, who already registers as rounded and sympathetic.

That's pretty much the good news. This one is uninvolving, has indistinct characters and looks like it was shot on 16mm. for a so so blow up.

If we have to meet a line count, may as well mention that it was included in a 2013 Desplechin retrospective, where it seemed to be doing some business, presumably among curious admirers like myself. Only in Paris would you find an apprentice work like this one on show to a paying public in movie houses.

A few years ago, in 2015, I tried to watch this movie, but I wasn't conviced by it, I found it pointless, i didn't get the humor... it was a confusing watch. Six years later, I decided to give a second chance after changing my mind in some other movies by Desplechin. I have to admit that this time I also changed of opinion.

It's important to understand that the humor is used as a way to show how they hide feelings in this family, how, as we see at a family meal at the start, they preffer to shut up and keep their thoughts for themselves. It's not important to enjoy their humor, it's just a road to understand how a convservative family manage their problems, even the most delicate as an attempt of suicide.

Another thing that I liked a lot it was that the motivations of Patrick, the young man that shots himself, keep mysterious, quite unclear. Someone thinks that is because a woman, in other scenes we know that Patrick's family is quite turbulent, event having problems with mental health issues. Also is mentioned that even when he was a child was regarded as "weird". Nor of these of these conjetures are resolved.

The acting, as usual in Desplechin's films is quite good and the cinematography is also very consistent and interesting, specially noticed in some indoor scences, where there are few caracthers round the scene, when the house is pictured in a subtle and hauting way.

It's not one of the best works by Desplechin, but honestly, is a great achievement, coming by a rookie director.