Finally

French director Claude Lelouch's latest film, Finalement, is a reflection on life, love and the passage of time, themes that have long been at the heart of his work. This film is more than just another entry in Lelouch's impressive catalog - it's like a personal conversation between director and audience, a contemplation of the many journeys, both physical and emotional, that one undertakes in the course of a lifetime. A nostalgic tone permeates every scene, as Lelouch draws on his six-decade career, creating a narrative that feels like a gentle farewell.

The film's visual style is unmistakably Claude Lelouch. His signature use of a fluid, moving camera brings an organic dynamism to the screen, capturing both the beauty of the natural landscapes and the intimate moments shared between the characters. This approach ultimately lends a sense of immediacy, as if the audience were peering into the fleeting, fragile moments of the characters' lives. Critics may say that this stylistic freedom sometimes seems scattered, but for Lelouch, it's a hallmark of his cinematic philosophy, embodying his commitment to cinéma vérité.

At the heart of Finalement is Lino, played by Kad Merad, a man who gives up his life after suffering a health problem that renders him incapable of lying. His journey across France, to meet strangers and rid himself of his old life, forms the central arc of the film. Kad Merad's performance captures the complexity of a man torn between the burdens of his past and the uncertain future that awaits him. His performance oscillates between humor and melancholy, lending depth to the character's existential quest.

Elsa Zylberstein shines in the role of Léa, Lino's ex-wife, a famous actress trying to navigate the remnants of their relationship. Elsa Zylberstein brings a quiet strength to her role, playing a woman who, despite her fragility, possesses a deep inner resilience. Their dynamic, along with the entire cast that includes Michel Boujenah, Sandrine Bonnaire and Barbara Pravi, offers a rich tapestry of human relationships - each character adding a new layer to Lelouch's exploration of love, loss and reconciliation.

Finalement's non-linear narrative structure - another Claude Lelouch trademark - guides the viewer through Lino's fragmented memories, dreams and hallucinations. Claude Lelouch uses temporal ellipses, deftly weaving together past, present and future to illustrate how life's random encounters and choices accumulate to form a coherent whole. The film's very title, Finalement, suggests that life, in all its complexity and unpredictability, eventually makes sense, even if often only in retrospect.

Despite its philosophical overtones, Finalement retains a sense of spontaneity, thanks to Claude Lelouch's decision to embrace improvisation during production. This choice gives the film a naturalistic feel, allowing the actors to fully inhabit their characters and deliver authentic, unscripted moments that resonate emotionally. Improvisation also amplifies the chemistry between the actors, particularly in the scenes between Kad Merad and François Morel, whose interactions as strangers on the road inject levity into the film's more serious moments.

The film's soundtrack, composed by Ibrahim Maalouf and featuring songs by Didier Barbelivien, also accentuates the film's thematic character. Although Lelouch's long-time musical collaborator Francis Lai is no longer with us, the score retains Claude Lelouch's familiar blend of nostalgia and liveliness. Music, as it has always done in Claude Lelouch's work, plays an essential role in shaping the emotional landscape of the film, underlining key moments with its evocative power.

However, not all viewers will appreciate the film's slow, contemplative pace, nor its occasional forays into sentimentality. The episodic structure, while true to Lelouch's style, may seem disjointed to some, with scenes appearing and disappearing as quickly as the characters they feature. Yet this very impermanence reflects the transient nature of life itself, a theme that Lelouch subtly reinforces throughout the film.

Finally is a testament to Claude Lelouch's enduring passion for storytelling. It's not a film that breaks new ground, but rather one that brings together the recurring motifs of his work - chance encounters, the passage of time, the subtleties of human bonds - and presents them in a way that's both familiar and fresh. For long-time Lelouch fans, this film will no doubt resonate as a poetic, bittersweet tribute to a life devoted to cinema. For others, it may seem overly sentimental or meandering, but beneath its gentle surface lies a profound meditation on the inevitable end that awaits us all.

At its core, Finalement is a deeply human film, inviting viewers to reflect on their own journey, to accept the unpredictable and to find beauty in the fleeting moments that shape our existence. It's a film that, like life, asks us to accept that everything - eventually - comes to an end, and to do so with grace. In our eyes, one of Claude Lelouch's best films in a long time.

Finally
Written and directed by Claude Lelouch
Produced by Victor Hadida, Claude Lelouch
Starring Kad Merad, Elsa Zylberstein, Michel Boujenah, Sandrine Bonnaire, Barbara Pravi, Françoise Gillard, Marianne Denicourt, François Morel, Raphaël Mezrahi, Clémentine Célarié, Lionel Abelanski, Dominique Pinon, Julie Ferrier
Music: Ibrahim Maalouf
Songs : Didier Barbelivien
Director of photography : Maximr Héraud
Editing: Stéphane Mazalaigue
Production company: Les Films 13
Distributed by Metropolitan Films (France)
Release date: November 13, 2024 (France)
Running time: 127 minutes

Seen September 14, 2024 at Centre International de Deauville

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