‘Tout s'est bien passé’ by François Ozon

François Ozon’s film adaptation of Emmanuèle Bernheim’s 2013 novel follows closely the plot of the original text. When Bernheim’s father, André, suffers a transient ischemic attack (TIA), he is left in a wheelchair, with very limited movement in his right side. Not long after the TIA, André asks Emmanuèle to help him end his life. Although initially shocked and reluctant, André, in his own formidable way, persuades his daughter to help him. Emmanuèle contacts an association in Switzerland, she and her sister, Pascale, meet with the association’s representative and introduce her to their father. Although André’s condition begins to improve following this meeting, and there are moments where the sisters hope he might change his mind, he remains adamant that he wants to end his life. Emmanuèle and Pascale make all the necessary arrangements; however, they are hindered in travelling to Switzerland with their father when someone reports them to the police. Although they are never charged, their solicitor deems it too risky for the sisters to make the trip with their father, so André is forced to travel to Switzerland alone. When André arrives in Berne, he receives the assisted death he wished for, accompanied by the association’s representative and listening to Brahms’ Sonata no. 3 in F minor, a piece that recurs throughout the film. 

The film is cinematographically rich, with sound playing a particularly pivotal role. It features a relatively simple soundscape, comprised primarily of enhanced sounds that immediately situate the viewer in a particular location (an author’s apartment, a hospital ward, the Parisian metro, etc.). Classical music also plays an important role, punctuating the film at significant moments and fostering transgenerational connections between characters. Ozon’s depiction of the Bernheim family’s relationships is key. Flashbacks and dreams allow the viewer to better understand the nature of Emmanuèle’s relationship with her father; close-up shots are used to demonstrate the emotional impact of André’s request for assisted dying on his family; and intimate shots of André’s medical and personal care remind the viewer of his new vulnerability in the eyes of his daughters. Another important aesthetic feature is Ozon’s inclusion of additional artistic and videographic forms, particularly paintings and a phone-recorded video (or a representation of one). The paintings offer a welcome respite at a point of intense emotion, while also establishing an important intertext. Likewise, the prominence given to this phone-recorded video, in which André expresses his wish to end his life in Switzerland, points to the centrality of this desire to the film’s plot. As in many films that feature suicide tourism, Switzerland is presented somewhat idyllically. When Emmanuèle and Pascale first meet the representative from the Swiss assisted dying association, a photograph/painting of snow-capped mountains, with a blue lake below, is hanging on the wall behind her. This idealised image is mirrored through the windows of both the ambulance that transports André to Bern, and the café where he and the ambulance drivers pause on their journey. Such imagery reinforces stereotypical notions of Switzerland as a ‘paradise’ for those who wish to end their lives there. Nonetheless, the film offers an aesthetic depth that richly distils the complexities of the situation it explores.

Ozon’s film was very well received, and it was particularly praised for giving a rounded picture of the assisted dying debate. The film examines many of the legal and ethical issues related to suicide tourism to Switzerland and provides insights on the role and operation of voluntary organisation, such as Dignitas. The film also considers the ramifications of an assisted death for the various parties concerned, from the individual’s immediate family to the ambulance drivers who transport André to Switzerland. In this regard, religion (particularly Judaism and Islam) feature strongly, offering important insights on the interplay between personal conviction and religious adherence. For all its richness, and despite being cited and screened by various interest groups, this film has not yet featured in debates around the potential introduction of assisted dying in France.