After the birth of her baby girl, Diana flees the hospital. Her uncoordinated escape brings her to Benidorm.
I attended the premiere at the Berlinale. The Q & A with the directors and team reminded what an amazing group effort cinema is and how many professionals involved share their skills, ideas and passion.
The directors had been inspired by the post natal depression of a friend. They interviewed over 50 mothers with similar experiences. They aimed to approach the theme not as a medical file, yet as a strong personal story. In that, I find, they absolutely succeeded.
There are many reasons to go and see the movie. The cast is great and performs convincingly, Camera, lighting, editing and music are all top notch. Diane's escape is almost like a physical experience. Themes as blues / depression / psychosis, as well as our longing to be intimate versus not being able to give unconditional love will give the viewer food for thought and will inspire conversation.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, of course, is criticism. Over the years I have developed an allergy for tormented semi self centered proagonists, seemingly being stuck, with the focus on observation rather than possible answers to encourage growth. French cinema seems to have a lot of them, adding an extra cigarette here and an extra drink there, a marital crises in between and a chanson in the end.
A bit more medical file would have been welcome. Blues, depression and psychosis require different approaches. For me the movie falls short of ideas on how to give guidance in time of suffering. After a strong start there is too much room for French clichés.
