From François Ozon (“8 Women” and “Swimming Pool”) comes a powerful family drama in which a daughter is forced to reconcile with her father and their shared past after he contacts her with a devastating final wish.
When André (André Dussollier) suffers a debilitating stroke and calls on his daughter Emmanuèle (Sophie Marceau) to help him die with dignity, she finds herself faced with a painful decision. Based on Emmanuèle Bernheim’s memoir and an Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, “Everything Went Fine’s” matter-of-factness elicits moments of humor that renders an otherwise weighty topic accessible.
Steering clear of the moral arguments such issues often raise, the film instead focuses on the reckoning Emmanuéle has with her stubborn and unrelenting father and how to help him, with Ozon tackling a difficult subject with exceptional intelligence and sensitivity.
Featuring stunning central performances by Marceau and Dussollier, as well as a scene-stealing cameo by Charlotte Rampling as André’s ex-wife.
I love Rampling and many of her film performances. From “Farewell My Lovely” in 1975 to “45 Years” in 2015 to the recent “Dune” franchise. The subject matter was, indeed, intriguing and for some would probably be off putting. But the film lays out the father’s wishes plain as day, after he has suffered a stroke and decided life wasn’t worth living anymore. His daughters, particularly Emmanuèle, are charged with setting into place his demise.
He and his wife, Rampling, have long been distant and she suffers from depression. So, she’s not in on the plan, which has been kept secret up to a point, lest the cops become involved.
Emmanuéle hadn’t enjoyed a pleasant relationship with her father, and it’s revealed that when she was younger, he had hinted about ending his life. So, it seems that his final request was an easy choice for him—considering that he is now years later and incapacitated.
At times, with some levity, it seems that André might change his mind. He wants to attend his grandson’s recital and possibly see a retrospective at the film center.
But he’s resilient and stubborn to the point where it causes friction between him and Emmanuéle.
I won’t go too much into what the final arrangements are, suffice it to say that André has to be transported to Bern, Switzerland, but after he enjoys a final meal with his family, the plan appears that it will unravel.
And then, again, since this is based on a family situation experienced by Emmanuèle Bernheim, I can imagine the apprehension she felt by helping the family member with such an unimaginable request.
But in the end, as the title suggests, “Everything Went Fine.”
Take a look at the trailer: Everything Went Fine Trailer #1 (2023).
“Everything Went Fine” is screening beginning April 28 at Century Centre Cinema & Landmark At The Glen and other theaters around the country. In the next coming weeks, the film will be showing at other theaters, as well as those where it screened prior to April 28.
Elaine Hegwood Bowen, M.S.J., is the Entertainment Editor for the Chicago Crusader. She is a National Newspaper Publishers Association ‘Entertainment Writing’ award winner, contributor to “Rust Belt Chicago” and the author of “Old School Adventures from Englewood: South Side of Chicago.” For info, Old School Adventures from Englewood—South Side of Chicago (lulu.com) or email: [email protected].
