The Mouth Agape

That life must stop for death is obvious; what's not so obvious is that it isn't just the life of the dying person, but also of everyone close to them, for a while. "The Mouth Agape," or "La gueule ouverte," shows the inherent conflicts that this stoppage causes. It is not easy to watch - in fact, it is incredibly brutal if you have ever experienced the terminal illness of a loved one. It has an unflinching eye, not just for the many indignities of death but also for the foibles and frailties of the survivors. It would be an interesting piece alongside the great Mexican film "Totém " which is also about a family surrounding one who is dying. The family dynamics are drastically different and so are the films, but they do have some common ideas. "The Mouth Agape" is just so bleakly real though. It is hard to watch the woman at the center slip away as her selfish son, daughter-in-law and husband take it all in. Apparently it is a bit autobiographical on the part of the filmmaker, Maurice Pialat, who would have been selfish son in this scenario.

It's not self-forgiving, but it is understandable, as he dips out on his mother time and again to take care of work and have affairs- one must continue to live in the face of death, after all. If you have lived through anything like this, it will be hard to watch for how real it is. If you haven't, then watch it and learn - maybe there is a regret or two it could spare you. Also, it's a gorgeously composed movie. A real work of art. It is a masterwork, and I must assume the difficulty of its subject accounts for it being less well known.

It's such a French scene with the Brie, baguette and red wine. Like a still life, this scene is held for a long while as the characters listen to a Mozart opera.