Criticism of ‘Dialogue with life’, Juliette Binoche and the abyss of loss

The perennial investigation of the Frenchman Christophe Honoré into the ins and outs of sentimental life reaches a limit point in terms of the emotional intensity and personal dimension of the story in ‘Dialogue with Life’. A closeness to the events –the film arises from an autobiographical impulse– that, however, does not translate into a nostalgic work. More than recreating a past time, the Breton filmmaker is interested in vividly capturing the profound sadness that the death of a loved one provokes in its delicate protagonist, a Paul Kircher determined to invoke the magnetism of Björn Andrésen in ‘Death in Venice’ (1971) by Luchino Visconti.

In the end, through a fragmentary first-person narration, which articulates the idea of ​​a close and at the same time diffuse memory, Honoré manages to represent the abyss of loss, rescuing moments of light: a tear falling down the face of a great actress (Juliette Binoche), the hug with an older brother (Vincent Lacoste) or a daring parallel montage that links sex and religion on the road to a physical and spiritual resurrection.

For those who taste the bittersweet face of initiation stories

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DATA SHEET

Address: Christophe Honoré Distribution: Paul Kircher, Vincent Lacoste, Juliette Binoche, Xavier Giannoli, Christophe Honoré Country: France Year: 2022 Release date: 12–5-2023 Gender: Drama Script: Christophe Honoré Duration: 122 min.

Synopsis: At 17, Lucas sees his adolescence shattered in the blink of an eye. He feels that his life is a wild beast that he must tame. Between a brother living in Paris and a mother with whom he now lives alone, Lucas will be forced to fight to regain hope and love.