Claire, who appears to be sick, prepares to go to a hospital. Her son is going to drive her. As they arrive, she takes her suitcase and proceeds to walk away after the son leaves. Although we never know what is wrong with Claire, it is obvious she is a terminal patient who has decided to stay away from badly needed medical care.
This lonely woman is spotted by a friend who knows about her disappearance at a store. Claire doesn't want to contact anyone, so it seems. One thing she loves is to sit at a beautiful park by the lake. An elderly man, Daniel, notices her presence. Daniel is curious about this mysterious woman that evidently loves her solitude. One day he leaves her flowers on the bench where she sits. Thus, begins their strange friendship that is platonic in its nature. It is easy for him to guess she is going to die, so he takes her to his apartment and, takes care of her until she passes away.
We were under the impression this was a show made for Swiss television, but according to the IMDb page it is a French entry. Not having seen anything by its director, Jacqueline Veuve, our main interest was to see two wonderful actors together: Stephane Audran and Daniel Gelin. The film is about dying on one's own terms, which is what Claire decided to do, presents a different attitude of a woman making an important decision that she will have to live with. It is a radical concept, specially staying away from a son that is baffled because of his mother's disappearance. In spite of the subject matter, it is to Ms. Veuve's credit to make her point without being morbid about it.
Stephane Audran has done much better before. Her Claire shows a courageous woman that decides to take rein of her last moments in life to do the things she probably didn't get to do before. Daniel Gelin, who had a glorious career in his native land, was a nice touch in the film. Thomas Chabrol, Ms. Audran's real life son appears as Claire's son in the film.
This lonely woman is spotted by a friend who knows about her disappearance at a store. Claire doesn't want to contact anyone, so it seems. One thing she loves is to sit at a beautiful park by the lake. An elderly man, Daniel, notices her presence. Daniel is curious about this mysterious woman that evidently loves her solitude. One day he leaves her flowers on the bench where she sits. Thus, begins their strange friendship that is platonic in its nature. It is easy for him to guess she is going to die, so he takes her to his apartment and, takes care of her until she passes away.
We were under the impression this was a show made for Swiss television, but according to the IMDb page it is a French entry. Not having seen anything by its director, Jacqueline Veuve, our main interest was to see two wonderful actors together: Stephane Audran and Daniel Gelin. The film is about dying on one's own terms, which is what Claire decided to do, presents a different attitude of a woman making an important decision that she will have to live with. It is a radical concept, specially staying away from a son that is baffled because of his mother's disappearance. In spite of the subject matter, it is to Ms. Veuve's credit to make her point without being morbid about it.
Stephane Audran has done much better before. Her Claire shows a courageous woman that decides to take rein of her last moments in life to do the things she probably didn't get to do before. Daniel Gelin, who had a glorious career in his native land, was a nice touch in the film. Thomas Chabrol, Ms. Audran's real life son appears as Claire's son in the film.