Les Choses de la Vie

On a country lane, traffic has been stopped and a large crowd gathers animatedly discussing the accident that has caused all the commotion, while its victim lies by the wayside, critically injured. Little by little, a picture of his life is pieced together as recollections of significant past moments are evoked. Claude Sautet’s masterpiece is a perfectly constructed drama. He infuses his seemingly simple story within a complex and layered narrative through fluid yet chronologically disparate flashbacks. Sautet skilfully manoeuvres the pace and settings of his film, which result in both a naturalistic effect of a human drama and the dream-like quality of the visions of a man close to death’s door. This aura is encapsulated in the staggering crash sequence, which took months of preparation, 10 days of shooting and is a testament to the possibilities of gripping stunts, before the days of special effects and outside the genre of action movies. In addition, the film boasts two sublime performances by two legends of French cinema: Michel Piccoli and Romy Schneider. Their engrossing portrayal of a couple in turmoil, which is enacted with such realism, poignancy and devastation, must go down as one of the most powerful love stories in cinematic history. The film was awarded the prestigious Louis-Delluc prize in 1969 for best French film and has remained a benchmark of quality to this day. It is a must see for lovers of the seventh art all over the world.