The Final Lesson (Pascale Puzadoux, 2015): France

Reviewed by Ashley Wierl. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2016.

Pascale Puzadoux’s film “The Final Lesson” is an emotional rollercoaster that will have you laughing one moment and crying the next. Pascale Puzadoux, who is the director and co-writter of the film, has a long history in directing, writing, and acting. The film has a wonderful cast that reflects the true feelings of family, which includes Marthe Villalonga, Sandrine Bonnaire, and Antoine Duléry among many others. “The Final Lesson” had it’s US premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2016.

The final lesson is a story of love and loss. On her 92nd birthday, Madeleine (Marthe Villalonga) announces to her family that she plans to die in a few weeks because she does not want to struggle through life anymore. She can no longer drive her car or walk up a flight of stair, she wets the bed, struggles to take a bath; which she uses as reasons why she is ready to die. At first, her family won’t even respond to her announcement. Shortly after they are all angry, unable to accept that their mother is going to leave them. Since Madeleine mind is made up, the family members, gshjfs son, daughter, and grandson all have to find their own paths to deal with her choice. All experience some form of the usual 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While this description sounds morose, a great majority of the film spends time cherishing precious moments between a mother and daughter, talking those treasured trips down memory lane, and making peace with lost chances and loose ends.

Anyone who enjoys films with a central theme of family will resonate with this film. Having experienced a similar thing with my own grandmother, this film felt very personal, and beautifully told.