Everything Went Fine

A daughter is forced to reconcile her past with her father when he contacts her with a devastating final wish, in François Ozon’s (8 Women, Swimming Pool) powerful family drama, a Cannes Film Festival Official Competition Selection. André (André Dussollier) has never been the easiest of fathers. But when he suffers a debilitating stroke and calls on his daughter Emmanuèle (Sophie Marceau) to help him die with some dignity, she finds herself faced with a painful decision. When her husband asks why André would ask this of his daughter, her response is clear: "That’s why, because I’m his daughter." An adaptation of Emmanuèle Bernheim’s memoir, Everything Went Fine is both a detailed portrait of family relationships and a frank account of the process involved in assisted dying. Steering clear of the moral arguments such issues often raise, the film instead focuses on the reckoning Emmanuèle has with her difficult relationship with a stubborn and unrelenting father, and coming to terms with how to help him now, despite it. Acknowledging the emotional toll such a process involves, Everything Went Fine’s matter-of-factness elicits moments of humor that not only emphasizes the humanity of its characters but also renders an otherwise weighty topic accessible. Featuring stunning central performances by Marceau and Dussollier, as well as a scene-stealing cameo by Charlotte Rampling as André’s ex-wife, Everything Went Fine finds Ozon tackling a difficult subject with intelligence and sensitivity.