Réparer les vivants

Katell Quillévéré’s third feature film HEAL THE LIVING is a vibrant story that I still carry with me since watching it at its world premiere. In a beautiful and striking way Quillévéré not only manages to tackle the film’s difficult themes of life, ethics, moral and the complexity of organ transplantations in a very sprawling, and yet complex narrative with the films main (fantastic) cast. Based on the book with the same title by Maylis de Kerangal the film circulates on the most essential human organ: the heart, which first belongs to the young surfer Simon of 19 before its emotional journey to the body of the dying mother Claire. In-between this journey we move between Simon’s grieving parents, the medical team and Claire's family. All this constructed cleverly by dreamy scenes, great editing that all bring these characters toward us closer and leave us ponder on concepts of life, love and death much longer than the film’s 104 minutes.