User Reviews

This film does not have a shred of originality. Juliet Stevenson does her best and as usual gives a good performance, but she stood alone. But I will pass over the inadequacies of the acting and get to what I think is the core of what is wrong. This is not appealing to LGBT audiences, and the badly done male sexuality will probably put off the straight audience too. Both stories of mother and son deserve more depth, and there is too much padding and references to 'art' such as Dvorak, Proust, etc, etc. There is a nod to Rimbaud and one of his poems about a shot soldier although those who do not know the poem probably would not notice. And water!!! What is it with supposedly gay themed films that we either have shower scenes, bathing scenes or something else to do with the element? The ending is water and I have no idea what was going on. Death by water or rebirth by water? In short, depressing and morbid. And why too did the father have to be gay? I thought of Techine, and missed his clarity. It is set in France, but no one seems to live in the village except for the late teen who is the obscure object of desire for both mother ans son. I cannot give this film a rating at all.

Characters & Story

Elliot (Alex Lawther)

It isn't known how old Elliot is, but what is known is that he is on the edge of a discovery. There are feelings yet explored that are haunting this young poet. This unquenched desire he can slightly put into words but has no one to see if they are comfortable or translate well into actions. That is until the discovery of Clément (Phénix Brossard). A Parisian boy who, like Elliot, is on some form of holiday due to the shift in life his parents are growing through. They don't bond quickly, nor perhaps easily, but slowly but surely they grow close enough to see if perhaps the words Elliot writes about, the dreams and things he ponders, can comfortably be acted out. Much less with another boy.

Beatrice (Juliet Stevenson)

Her marriage is very trying. I mean, she tries with Philip (Finbar Lynch) but knows that there is only but so much she can do. Hence why, to cope and compensate for the failings of their marriage, they buy houses. Yet that isn't working anymore so rather than keep their summer home they are going to sell it. Pack away many of the things they have collected and sell. But after using houses and things as support beams for their marriage, it is questionable if removing one won't meant the marriage won't fall apart.

Review Summary

Highlights

An Imperfect Love Story

I'm the type who always enjoys a good love story and there is nothing better than one which takes it slow, doesn't try to force itself, and deals with the road bumps which come from one person trying to integrate into another's life. Much less become accepted in their personal space. But add in LGBT teens, and things becoming ever the more complicated. Especially when they both aren't necessarily out nor fully comfortable with who they are and what that means when interacting with other people. To me, while Lawther did seem a bit off his game at times, the end result is a love story which is imperfect, but quite darling.

On The Fence

The Awkwardness of Youth

Coming of age tales, especially of the LGBT variety, are difficult to execute. Part of the reason is that someone, usually far removed from the age of the characters, has to figure out a way to represent what it means to be young and question things without bringing too much of their current self, the person who has been there and done that. Which I won't claim writer/ director Andrew Steggall did perfectly, especially when it comes to Elliot. For while he does mask Elliot's pretentiousness with him having conversations in an unfamiliar tongue and by saying he is a writer in the making; at the same time, something feels unreal about Elliot. Like he is more of an idea crafted and moving about like a puppet than a living and breathing human being.

What I mean is, as Elliot pursues discovering Clément and his sexuality, the awkwardness expected clashes with either the writing or the current abilities of Lawther. Leaving you with an almost robotic personality you can't pin down as either a problem or simply Elliot's personality.

The Sad Mother

Unfortunately for Stevenson, her character has to compete with a love story as Beatrice's life goes down the drain. Something we are provided enough details of to say we know the why, when, and how but, again, something feels off. Be it because Beatrice's story is tried and true so it pales in comparison to Elliot's or maybe, like with Lawther, the personality of the character just isn't easy to connect to so getting fully immersed is difficult.

Overall: On The Fence (Home Viewing)

Focusing solely on Elliot's story, you have something beautiful in itself, though slightly familiar if you are used to seeing LGBT romance films featuring teens. However, there is this awkwardness which goes beyond youthful discovery and spreads to the main cast. Making it where as much as everyone has something compelling going on when it comes to their relationship with a significant other or parent, it is like hearing a low but irritating noise while trying to read. Does it necessarily keep you from the task at hand? No. But it is a big enough distraction to keep you from fulling losing yourself in the activity.

After i watched this i was like... what the actual freak There are a lot of things that most of the people wont understand and tell "this movie sucks" and they dont try to understand it. At first i was like those people, but minute by minute that i was watching, i was capable to try to understand it... at my own.

This is not a romantic movie, absolutely not, when i watched the boat scene on tiktok i was like "i will watch this romantic movie about 2 guys falling in love" but now that i watched it im like "nop, this is absolutely not what i tought". This movie is about life of changing, feels like watching a real life video, acting is awesome but the plot, despite a person try to interpret it, have holes in it. The movie start without an explanation and end as such, it have no logic sense but in either way make you feel a lot of emotions. For like half of it, it remind me of "cmbyn" especially the carrot scene, but at the end its not like it.

Did i like it? The answer is.. i really dont know, it kept me clued in front of the TV but i dont know if i would suggest it to other people, but it wasnt bad... I recommend to watch it with only one advertisement, you wont understand nothing but something in you will change.

This cinematic piece had me in tears it hit so close to home. Elliot truly displayed the pain of not being heard and watching life happen from the distance even though the movie was mainly his point of view. He showed that his heartbreak was so overlooked and everything around him was going faster than he could process that in the end he was just so frustrated he took everything in his own hands.

I think my absolute favorite part about this movie is that it captured every aspect of life instead of just being an LGBT film. It shows the struggles of having parents who are constantly winning and losing a love-hate war and that romance and finding love isn't the only thing going on in ones life, which again is my favorite part. It captures the character and not the genre. This is a whole new concept for movies and it was so well thought out and constructed that by the time it got to the scene where the fall leaves were falling in his room, I was tearing up, and I never cry. This is one of the best movies i've ever seen.

Well, what can I say about a film with such an elegant and wonderful portrayal of coming of age and more than one coming out. It emphasis and tackles the crippling issues of contemporary society, a truly unique story about depression, marriage, love, sexuality, and youth. Its refreshing to see a film about young homosexuals and it not being polluted by sex or stereotypes, but don't get me wrong, there are elements of sexual passion, but it first and foremost is a story about love.

The cinematography parallels the story-line while being unique on its own. The music by Jools Scott, an amazing musician whom I've had the pleasure of talking too, creates an amazing soundtrack that is minimal by having wonderful moments of reflective silence. My only critique (for the movie in its entirety) would be that the final song before the credits didn't quite emulate the emotion of the scene. A piece that Jools had shared with me (that I will not name for copyright reasons) would of better suited that ending.

The ending in its self was abrupt, slightly disappointing, however, very much appropriate. It was only disappointing because it left me wanting much more, but I soon realise after watching the film that if there was more it might of ruined the magic of the film, this ending allows for viewer interpretation and highlights how life moves on.

This film is true art, and should be available worldwide, even studied in schools as it is a real account of LGBT love showing how it is like every other love. It is a must see and I can assure you that I will watch it many many more times. It has my highest approval.

Have you ever watched a film and ended up frustrated to see that nothing in the characters' lives significantly changes by the climax?

I'll cut to the chase, short and sweet: Departure is depressing, but not in a moving, atmospheric sort of way. It's not an accomplishment. It's sad in the same abstract way as a low-resolution image of a ham sandwich in a dim room or a bowl of cereal without enough milk.

It's a complete failure of executing a simple idea, feeling simultaneously anxiety-inducing and bland; following the dialogue is a nightmare, almost hilariously so, and I am still uncertain whether awkward, nonsensical conversations are intended as surrealism or simply bad writers doing what they do best. It's almost as if the characters simply cannot hear each other speak and go off on spontaneous tangents about nothing.

I found none of the characters engaging or even deserving of sympathy, and the relationship between the two main boys is forced and anticlimactic, never quite reaching any sort of pivotal point.

Stoic, unimpressive acting, depressing atmosphere, and zero progression after nearly two hours of material. I'd rather slap myself than watch this again.

Departure is a masterful examination of four people whose individual worlds are in disarray. Young men haphazardly figuring out their place in the world, a middle aged having to address the truth about their marriage.It's definitely not a feel good film nor is it as heavily focused on the queer relationship as the trailer suggests.

Departure is one of the better looking films I've seen in a while. Almost every scene could make an intriguing photograph. The film is realistically atmospheric. It's also one of the rare films where long shots of the characters just staring and thinking actually conveys meaning.

The beauty of the film and the portrayal by the actors makes Departure worth watching.

I hated this movie; it was terrible! The only redeeming feature is the setting: the South of France in autumn which is captured magnificently by great camera work. The performances by some of the supporting cast namely Phenix Brossard as Clemente and Finbar Lynch as Philip, Elliot's father, are wooden. While the opportunity to provide an insight into the exploration of sexuality by Elliott (Alex Lawther) isn't totally lost, it's often clichéd. The representation of women in the film is pitiful. This is a bleak, miserable and depressing story so be prepared. And the off-hand disclosure at the end when Philip and Beatrice (Juliet Stevenson) are arguing is trite.