Return to the Sea

Death, loss, grief, letting go - these are all themes that François Ozon deals with again and again with particular intensity in his films. "Return to the Sea" also fits seamlessly into this body of work.

After her boyfriend dies of an overdose after a drug trip together, life seems to have no meaning for young Mousse (Isabelle Carrè). But then she learns that she is pregnant and thus carrying a part of her beloved Louis. Secluded in a summer house by the sea, Mousse prepares for her life as a mother. When, after a few months, she receives a visit from Paul (Louis-Ronan Choisy), Louis' gay brother, Mousse is forced to confront her grief again, which has unexpected consequences...

"Return to the Sea" is a very quiet and thus quite unwieldy film, carried primarily by its beautiful images and strong lead actress Isabelle Carrè, who was actually pregnant during filming. After the rather unsuccessful fantasy drama "Ricky", François Ozon manages in "Return to the Sea" to do again what made films like "The Time That Remains" or "Under the Sand" so moving: he creates emotions that seem real without obviously going down the emotional road. It's small moments, glances, images that touch the viewer. And that works very well again here.

"Return to the Sea" is a small, unspectacular film in the best sense of the word, which could scare many viewers away with its almost stoic narrative flow. But those who can get involved with Ozon's sustained staging will be rewarded with magnificently acted emotional cinema of the completely unsentimental kind. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp