‘Life without you’: learning not to cling to memories

Last November 2022 ‘Hold me tight’ arrived in Spanish cinemas, in which Mathieu Amalric explored the mourning of a woman, who had not yet accepted the death of her husband and two children. The director surprised with a story that, little by little, showed his cards, playing with the audience on what is a dream, what is fiction within the film and what should be the real narrative. One could say that, in this line, it arrives ‘Life without you’, second feature film by French director Laurent Larivièrearriving in commercial theaters after being seen at the Special Gala session of the 72nd Berlin Film Festival.

‘Life Without You’ narrates the different ages of its protagonist, Joan, an elegant Parisian editor played by Isabelle Huppert, who haphazardly evokes her memories, such as if Larivière tried to show his mind, which loses much of the linearity of what is expected of this type of storyabove all to have a conventional initial execution, with a prologue that should invite you to discover the nonconformist character of the protagonist.

Now, while Amalric has shown a knack for narrating a fragmented story, Larivière, who co-writes the screenplay with François Decodts, has a different knack, leaving the strength of his story in the powerful performance of Isabelle Huppert, as well as in his young counterpart, played by Freya Mavor. Once the lack of logic in the succession of events has been accepted and the scenes shown can be enjoyed almost autonomously, ‘Life without you’ is an interesting portrait of the mourning that a woman experiences and how the brain is such a powerful organ that it is able to change or delete memories at will.

Isabelle Huppert’s charisma elevates this fragmented drama

Larivière takes advantage of this to create a story in which we see the process of liberating a woman tormented by her past. in various ways and how his mother’s death will turn his life upside down, so that he will have to face his demons. Although Larivière combines lighter sequences with more solemn ones, in all of them it is Isabelle Huppert who shines, thus showing her ability to create a sense of normality even in exceptional situations.

Next to her is Swann Arlaud, who plays the protagonist’s son and offers the film’s most tender and empathetic moments, in which Huppert is seen glowing with heat (something rare in his filmography). Mention also goes to Lars Eidinger, who once again shows his interpretative versatility, this time as a bohemian writer who awakens in Joan the hope of rebuilding her life. Applause also for Freya Mavor, challenged to replicate Huppert’s interpretation in a youthful key.

That his actors are splendid proves that Larivière knows how to be a director of performers. After debuting with a more inhospitable proposal, ‘Je suis un soldat’, in which Louise Bourgoin showed her tougher side, the director continues to show his ability to explore the psyche of his protagonists, with a story with which he tries to go one step further. ‘Life without you’ doesn’t reach the level of ‘Hold me tight’, but it manages to be a proposal that allows you to enjoy a cast that knows how to convey the importance of mourning and being able to move forward in life.

Note: 7

The best: Its actors, the mother and son scenes between Isabelle Huppert and Swann Arlaud.

Worse: Really, he doesn’t quite understand what he wants to tell and the conclusion of the personal duel seems to have been a last minute choice.