Death broke him last January, at the age of 37.
Less than a year later, Gaspard Ulliel makes a posthumous appearance in the form of a modest, serious and luminous farewell, in
More than ever
, in theaters on Wednesday.
Coincidentally, it is in a drama about the end of life, that this actor appreciated by the public and esteemed by the profession, who tragically disappeared in a skiing accident in Savoie during a family vacation, appears for the last time.
At the time of his death, the film was at the end of editing.
It has since been presented in May with immense emotion at the Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard).
"
The horrible news came at the end of the editing
", at a time "
when we are so close to the actor, whose every breath we know
" to replay each plan many times on the screen, recalls with emotion the director Emily Atef.
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At the heart of the film, a close-knit couple, Hélène (Vicky Krieps) and Matthieu (Gaspard Ulliel), put to the test by illness: condemned by a serious lung problem, Hélène hesitates to seek treatment before refusing the transplant which could perhaps - be to save her.
On a whim, she goes alone to Norway, near a fjord, after talking with a stranger who keeps a blog on which he talks about his cancer.
An incomprehensible decision for Matthieu, who cannot come to terms with the idea of his departure, let alone that of his death.
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Can we choose our death?
Do we owe anything to those who remain?
By refusing treatment, is Hélène choosing her destiny or is she giving up on life?
The film asks these difficult questions with great modesty, favoring the beauty of the landscapes, superb light and the sensuality emanating from its performers.
In this remote corner of Norway, where half of the film takes place, Hélène reconnects with nature and learns to accept the sequence of events.
“Humble, focused and funny”
“
My hope is that what people take the most from the film is this feeling of nature, to feel that in nature it is the place where you find everything and you feel the most connected with everything, that everything is one
,” Vicky Krieps told AFP.
Gaspard Ulliel, “
he too, now, will be part of that.
Nature heals everything
,” she hopes.
The Luxembourg actress, revealed in
Phantom Thread
with Daniel Day-Lewis, keeps a very emotional memory of this filming, in a very small team of ten people, in wild Norway in the midst of a pandemic.
“
The light was breathtaking
,” confirms director Emily Atef, in an interview with AFP.
"
It was super nice: Gaspard was with us in Norway.
It was very, very, happy.
We slept little, we were always outside together
.
In the film, Gaspard Ulliel offered “
the accuracy of his acting, luminous and at the same time very deep.
He was a super humble, focused and also very funny being
, ”she likes to remember.
His death "
shows that you really have to live your life and talk about things while you're here
".
Thoughts that go back to the subject of the film: “
The only thing we know
”, about human destiny, “
is that we are going to leave this earth
”, underlines Emily Atef.
“
Every human being has the right to choose how to die.
It is important that we talk about it because it will happen to all of us
, she continues.
It's beautiful when a person leaves as they want.
»
