''Time to Leave'' () is a 2005 French

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film written and directed by

François Ozon François Ozon (; born 15 November 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter. Ozon is considered one of the most important modern French filmmakers. His films are characterized by aesthetic beauty, sharp satirical humor and a free-wheeli ...

. It was screened in the section of the

2005 Cannes Film Festival The 58th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 May and ran until 22 May 2005. Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica served as jury president for the main competition. Cécile de France hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. Belgian filmmakers D ...

Plot

Romain, a gay 31-year-old fashion photographer, discovers he is terminally ill and has only three months to live. He rejects the treatment for his metastasized tumor that might offer him a slim (less than 5%) chance of survival. Romain exhibits both selfish and reckless behavior. He realizes that his good looks give him a certain amount of leeway and he tests the forbearance of the people who care for him. He chases away his lover Sasha and delights in antagonizing his sister. The only person in whom he confides about his illness is his grandmother Laura.

Cast

Melvil Poupaud Melvil Matthias Julien Poupaud (born 26 January 1973) is a French actor. Early life Poupaud was born in Paris, the son of Michel Poupaud and publicist Chantal Poupaud. He has an elder brother, Yarol, who is a musician. Career Poupaud made hi ...

as Romain *

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

as Laura * Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as Jany *

Daniel Duval Daniel Duval (28 November 1944 – 10 October 2013) was a French film actor, director and writer. Best known as an actor, Duval has credits in over 70 television and film productions. As a filmmaker, Duval was awarded the Silver Prize at the ...

as the father *

Marie Rivière Marie Rivière (; born 22 December 1956) is a French actress and filmmaker. She is known for her collaborations with director Éric Rohmer. From a working-class background, Marie Rivière grew up on a housing estate/project in Montreuil before ...

as the mother * Christian Sengewald as Sasha * Louise-Anne Hippeau as Sophie

Awards

2005

Valladolid International Film Festival The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...

: * Silver Spike – François Ozon * Best Actor – Melvil Poupaud

Critical reception

The film received generally positive reviews from critics. On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 75% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A reflective look at our own mortality through the experience of a middle-aged French man, ''Time To Leave'' manages to pull at our heart strings without resorting to cliches, and leaves a lasting impression." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has an average score of 67 out of 100 based on 21 reviews. Moira MacDonald of ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' wrote, "It's a quiet and poignant look at a life as it slips away, seen through the eyes of a character who's not always likable but remains entirely real".

References

External links

* *
A.O. Scott's review
in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''
An interview with Ozon about the film
{{Authority control 2005 drama films 2005 films 2005 LGBTQ-related films 2000s French films 2000s French-language films Films directed by François Ozon France 2 Cinéma films French drama films French LGBTQ-related films Gay-related films 2000s LGBTQ-related drama films StudioCanal films Films produced by Olivier Delbosc Films produced by Marc Missonnier Films scored by Valentyn Silvestrov