More Than Ever: Film Review
Vicky Krieps is on a roll with her performances at the moment – she was outstanding in Corsage (a film didn’t really like) and once again in More Than Ever (which I adored).
In Emily Atef‘s French drama, she plays Hélène, who is dying of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare lung disease. She no longer works, she can’t deal with her friends’ pitying looks and she feels guilty for making her husband Matthieu’s (Gaspard Ulliel) life miserable. She befriends Mister (Bjørn Floberg), a Norwegian man who is also dying, online and decides to go to his tranquil village in Norway alone to find peace in her final days.
This understated drama is beautiful, moving and thought-provoking. It really makes you wonder how you would spend your last days if you had a choice and if you would choose to die how you wanted to or how your loved ones wanted you to. Despite her husband’s protestations, Hélène follows her heart and leaves Bourdeaux in search of her perfect ending.
Most of the time, we just watch Hélène spending her final days soaking up her gorgeous surroundings and hanging out with Mister (whose actual name is Bent). It sounds dull but it’s actually a really compelling watch. It levels up when Matthieu comes to visit and the strength of their love is truly tested. His visit is heartbreaking as the film stops being just about her and becomes about the both of them coming to terms with her death. He wants to respect her wishes even if he doesn’t understand or approve of them.
Krieps is subtle yet superb as a woman trying to find peace despite the hand she’s been dealt, but I found Ulliel more affecting. This could be because Matthieu is the more openly emotional of the pair, but also because this is Ulliel’s last-ever film (he tragically died in a skiing accident last January aged only 37).
More Than Ever is a thoughtful end-of-life drama led by two remarkable performances. I highly recommend.
In selected cinemas now