Audrey Diwan – L’événement (2021, en. “Happening”)
- The desire to offer a take on an important theme without too many compromises.
- A film that is located at a crossroads between the Dardenne brothers, Bresson and “The son of Saul”.
- The protagonist’s interpretation, sometimes even ambiguous, is perfect.
- The pace is, at times, a little frustrating.
- Some sequences may be very strong to some people, but none of these sequences are gratuitous and still go in the direction of the film’s central focus and meaningful expression.
Do we recommend watching it?
Yes.
Few words about the film.
Why do we recommend it? The premise is very simple: the fact that it is still necessary to talk about such a topic is socially unacceptable and accounts for the setbacks that our society seems to be taking. At the same time the very fact that it is necessary to talk about it again with renewed strength makes the film absolutely precious.
There is no doubt that the film is exactly centered on the choice of Anne – which is not just a choice, because it is also made quite early in the narrative, but a series of consequent decisions that lead her to try to take her own life in her hands – and how this is, in the light of the facts that are happening today, a sacrosanct right in the life of every human being.
The film does not want to hide the pain, but it is not just a drama in which pain is mainly located on the psychological axis, but rather to address the concept of physical pain, the risk of dying in order to carry out this “choice ”, the sorrow in the abandonment and the difficulty of communicating one’s emotions, and the effects of an illegality created at the expense of a woman’s body, of a life that could change at any moment, even if one doesn’t want to.
And yeah, we all agree that life is like this, and events (indeed the “événement” of the title) give swerves not always foreseen to our lives, but who are we to judge someone who decides to “act” (like the verb in Latin that the students repeat) on these events trying to resume their own path? Who are we to judge a person who makes such an intimate and painful choice? This, undoubtedly, is the most interesting point of the film: presenting in front of the spectators a series of judgments and prejudices fueled by a law that does not protect everyone, but only, in part, those little men who, at the moment when events should hit them too, they run away and leave everything in the hands of those who on paper should be weaker.
But Anne has no interest in finding a partner who can help her, Anne is determined, stubborn and convinced that the decision she has made is the right one. Anne doesn’t want to hear reasons, because she knows she “can’t love”. She knows that she will not be able to make that house a happy home. He knows that, after all, her unhappiness will not remain only on her, but will also be absorbed by her child and faced with this prospect, she makes the only possible choice: to rebel, at the risk of her own skin, against the Texan… oops… French law.
Will it be the best choice? It is not up to us to decide, because, after all, this is Anne’s choice and we, as a society, should simply do everything possible to allow people like Anne to be able to choose freely.
“Should I watch it, then?”
Well, you now know what we think about it but if you are still unsure about it, take a look at the trailer to decide for yourself whether to watch it or not.
Now, nothing left to do here, you just have to go and watch it or if you already did and have something to say about this movie, feel free to leave a comment at the end of the page and say whatever you like about the film. On this site, we are always happy to host others’ opinions on cinema and why not, open a debate if you don’t agree with us on this.
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