Departure (2015)
Departure (2015)
SYNOPSIS ADAPTED FROM IMDB:
An English mother (Juliet Stevenson) and teenage son (Alex Lawther) spend a week in the South of France breaking up a summer home that has become one of the casualties of a crumbling marriage. Matters only become more complicated when an enigmatic local boy (Phénix Brossard) enters their lives.
Review:
Directed by Andrew Steggall, Departure is one of the more complex gay films out there, but most definitely worth watching. Based in France, the film follows a mother, Beatrice, and her son, Elliot, who are returning to their holiday home in order to pack it up ready to be sold. They encounter a French boy who soon becomes the object of their interest and fascination.
Elliot and Beatrice hold a lot of tension between them, as if they have a lot to say to each other but won’t. Elliot is a morbid, eccentric type who is clearly bored and lonely. He resents his mother for the sale of the house and the failing marriage between his parents, and at times he comes across as rather selfish and insufferable. He is so focused on how circumstances are impacting him that he is either oblivious or apathetic to the pain of his mother. Beatrice meanwhile has an isolated and almost lifeless way about her – the holiday home was a failed project to keep her marriage together – and she lacks all purpose and vibrancy as she comes to terms with her situation. The two at times seem numb to each other, with little warmth or communication.
However, they soon encounter a local French boy, Clément, who appears to be everything they are not. He is strong, handsome and physical, with a rebellious and care-free side - so opposed to their British ‘stiff upper lip’. Clément brings both Elliot and Beatrice to life and the two talk more to him in brief moments, than they ever do to each other. Communication between characters in this film is very interesting, with conversation switching between French and English, and also what is not said often more important than what is actually said.
While the English mother and son see Clément as a bright light in their dulling lives, Clément is also hurting. His mother is dying in Paris and he has been sent away so that he doesn’t see her decline further. He is likely in more pain than either Elliot or his mother, and yet he is the one that seems to be the most full of life. There are moments when you can see his pain, and yet rather selfishly Elliot and his mother are so focused on themselves, they don’t seem to fully appreciate Clément’s feelings – however Clément does seem to like having them as a distraction from his own difficulties. Clément, while at times playful or at other times seemingly uninterested, feels the pain of both Beatrice and Elliot – he notices and says things that mother and son won’t communicate with each other.
There’s a subtle scene where Elliot hurries into the holiday home having found figs on a tree in the garden, and he is keen to show his mother. When he gets in he finds Clément has come over to help with the packing and he proceeds to share the figs with him instead. When Clément asks whether Beatrice would want any, Elliot replies that he doesn’t think she likes them. Shortly after, Clément notices Beatrice picking and eating a fig off the tree. When Clément is around, Elliot wants his mother gone, but Clément notices and feels Beatrice’s sadness.
Elliot is an only child stuck with parents who are in a dying marriage. He feels like his parents are holding him back and he is becoming more emotionally detached from them – he is starting to lose feeling. There’s a scene where Elliot pokes his finger with a pin and another where he holds a stinging nettle, just to feel something, even if that is pain. There’s a really nice scene between Elliot and a café owner – Elliot is writing in the café and the owner tells him about how he used to be an actor. They transition between French and English, talking about the right words to describe desire, longing and being human. Elliot wants to feel something, but he almost doesn’t know what, or even how to express it.
Clément becomes the object of that desire, as Elliot wants Clément to save him from his sorry life - but then so does his mother, who in many ways feels the same as Elliot. This desire culminates in two scenes of real intimacy and physical connection. The first is between Clément and Beatrice – as the two eat ice cream alone and Clément shares a story about his family, Beatrice kisses him. The second is a scene between Elliot and Clément as they row a boat in the reservoir – Elliot is overcome by desire after Clément has stripped off for a swim and the two boys share a physical moment. Yet both these scenes feature a lack of proper verbal communication – the characters have so much they want to say to each other and yet they won’t – they communicate indirectly. They’re all so lonely in their own ways and yet scared to speak of their own weaknesses and pain in front of each other. There’s so much repression evident. Affection-starved mother and son are in a subtle tug-of-war for Clément, and I almost feel sorry for him as he is used as pain relief by Beatrice and Elliot, when he himself is not in a stable position.
Departure is a film largely about Elliot and whether he will sink or float. Elliot first sees Clément diving into the nearby reservoir and he worriedly watches to see him resurface. Elliot’s mother also tells a story about how she used to dive when Elliot was younger and how Elliot would panic when she wouldn’t immediately resurface. Later in the film Elliot tells a story about his mother trying to fix a broken hot tap and how the room filled with steam and it felt like they were stuck underwater. Elliot fears drowning. To Elliot it is as if his mother symbolises drowning and Clément represents resurfacing. Elliot is scared of becoming his mother, of becoming broken, damaged and limited. Clément makes him feel like he would float.
With a lovely setting in the French countryside, and some nice birdsong and shots of the reservoir, Departure has a nice feel to it. There’s a lot under the surface of the film and I think it’s most definitely worth watching. The only criticism I would have is the introduction of Elliot’s father later in the film – he almost doesn’t feel necessary, as the story is really about Elliot, Beatrice and Clément. It’s a quiet film with the way characters interact with each other far more important than what they say to each other. The acting is brilliant, and you can really feel the emotions of each character. An understated film but an interesting one.
Favourite Quote:
“I didn’t tell him about you and Clément.” – Elliot
“You didn’t tell…you didn’t tell me about you and Clément either.” – Beatrice
Tone: Chill
Score: 9/10
Other observations:
Beatrice is the character who I most feel for. She’s so alone, as seen in a scene where she cries in her car. She also feels such embarrassment by her marriage’s failings as evidenced by her interactions with the neighbour. She’s always been so passive and yet she’s losing even more control. She is unable to cope and is grieving for the hope she used to have for better times, as shown when she fondly reminisces about an oven. She’s unloved by her son and husband, who she has never been enough for. She says at one point, “I feel like I’m missing something.” This film says a lot about failed relationships and broken communication.
Something I particularly noticed was early on, Beatrice is seen packing away the plates from the kitchen dresser and then decides that she’ll leave a few up to make the place look less bare. A few scenes later the full display is back up on the dresser. She is trying to slow the end and delay the inevitable.
Catch the Wind by Oliver Daldry is a fantastic piece of music and works well with the film.
At the end of the film, when Elliot dives in the water, it is his sink or float moment. He realises he wants to float – and that perhaps he doesn’t need Clément in order to do that. He can save himself and is in control of himself.
Phénix Brossard who plays Clément is also in Benjamin (2018), which I will review at a later date.