According to German scholar and philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche, humans are the children of necessity, and their needs shape who they truly are. My Everything, or Mon Inséparable, written and directed by Anne-Sophie Bailly, also subtly demonstrates the necessity and limitations of life through the medium of cinema. Mona, a single mother in her 60s who continues to care for her son, Joël, who is in his thirties and is referred to as “Slow,” is confronted with the challenges of a child who is neither too young to require protection nor too mature to be alone.
Anne-Sophie Bailly strives to tell a narrative with characters who are not typical of society. The protagonists in her narrative, Joël (Charles Peccia-Galletto) and his colleague, Océane, whom he fell in love with, are persons with disabilities, and relative limitations, who may be able to manage the basics of life but are not evident to be associated with difficulties such as love, responsibility, or even parenthood. Joël is “late,” as they say, and works in a specialty centre. He has a deep affection for his coworker Océane, who also has a similar disability. However, Mona is unaware of this connection; Océane’s pregnancy necessitates a decision and tests the intimate bond between mother and son.
Here, Laure Calamy’s genius acting as Mona shines from the heart of the story, encouraging the viewer to acknowledge how the strength of acting can reveal something beyond a simple narrative. Laure Calamy, who won the Best Actress César and Lumière trophies in 2021 for My Donkey, My Lover, and I and received César nominations in the same category in 2022 and 2023 for Her Way and Full Time, is now showcasing her brilliant performance in My Everything.
Under the blue water, two bodies, a man’s and a woman’s, move around to flow with the gravitation of flowingness, and they both do the same to end the film. They make a concerted effort to maintain equilibrium in the chaotic nature of life; this is the way humans strive to survive. Mona and Joël bind themselves to each other out of needs, whether it’s to provide protection or to receive protection. Mona takes her responsibility as a single mother to look after Joël, but his son is intrepid to experience all aspects of life like a normal man. Then, the question emerges: who qualifies to serve as a protector or receive protection? Who can provide an answer to the existential question? My Everything bravely prompts the audience’s mind to confront the most challenging issues: limitation and attachment. When we see the two parakeets in the cage on the kitchen wall, we see togetherness without tasting freedom and compare it with the mother and son’s relationship.
The film My Everything gives a visual representation of the hidden layers of life that lie under the surface. It brings to light the faces, problems, and troubles that we are not able to readily discover around us but are personally experiencing. The very delightful moments of Mona and Frank’s (Geert Van Rampelberg) love affair turn to disaster when Joël appears, and we see that making the most simple things of daily life could be impossible for many in the world. Mona, whose time never belonged to her, portrays a beautiful woman in her 60s under the weight of life, and the climax comes when she shouts, cries, and breaks through the words. The film’s narrative never eclipses its tempo, and the highs and lows come together out of trouble. It is the result of a strong collaborative effort.
Bailly, a product of the famed cinema school La Fémis in Paris, had previously produced the short film The Midwife, which had its world debut at Clermont-Ferrand. A successful run on the global festival circuit ensued, culminating in a placement at Telluride. My Everything, produced by Les Films Pelléas (David Thion), will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Horizon 2024, in which talented directors promote their innovative works to the never-ending world of cinema.
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