VOILA CINEMA!
US Premiere

Last Breath

Le dernier souffle

COSTA-GAVRAS
France, 2024
100 minutes, Color

Costa-Gavras, the famed director of Z, State of Siege, and Missing, would seem to be the definition of a filmmaker with nothing left to prove. But at age 91, he is conquering "a new continent," namely, looking at death clear-eyed, in Last Breath. Acclaimed actor and theater director Denis Podalydès stars as Fabrice Toussaint, a widely known French intellectual who develops a philosophical interest in end-of-life palliative care and follows the extraordinary doctor Augustin Masset (Kad Merad) on his rounds. A man of intense compassion, Masset conducts deeply explorative conversations with his patients. Some are in denial, but all seek a kind of truth; for example, a surprisingly erudite elder who knows the myths of many cultures still wonders what awaits her. In their presence, Toussaint's own humanity is touched. Perhaps as a stand-in for Costa-Gavras, Toussaint is taking notes in preparation for the inevitable.—Judy Bloch

In French with English subtitles