"To Love, Drink And Sing", As Bequeathed By Alain René

At the 36th Moscow International Film Festival, as part of the Divine Euphoria program, Alain René's To Love, Drink and Sing, the last, very sincere and partly self-portrait painting, was shown. In parting, the French director chose the most humane and wise genre - comedy.

In an amazing way, the artist's last film literally became his farewell to the world - worthy, cheerful, life-affirming. Alain René died in March of this year, he was 91. "To Love, Drink and Sing" took part in the competition of the Berlin Film Festival and received the FIPRESCI prize, and the director himself - the award for opening new paths in cinema. He could not come to the premiere, just as he did not wait for the film to be released. But here we are faced with an example where a work has worked for its author, acting as an easy, funny and inspiring, if this word is appropriate in this case, the completion of the path. The film "Love, Drink and Sing" is based on the play "Riley's Life" by Alan Ayckborn. Old acquaintances Colin, Catherine and Tamara are going to play in the play, but they find out that George (he is especially close to Tamara's husband Jack) is terminally ill. Deciding to support him in this difficult moment, they invite a friend to participate in the performance. The last months of this amazing man's life (that he is extraordinary, everyone is convinced, especially women) for many will become a period of awareness and at the same time turn into a real comedy.

George will cause admiration, awe, make four beautiful women fight for themselves, including his ex-wife Monica and sixteen-year-old daughter Tamara Tilly, and their men will be jealous and worried. And he will be able to do all this without ever appearing on the screen. The action takes place in York, but England is also nominally present here: the actors speak French, views of the town appear only at the beginning of the film, and then are replaced by illustrations and abstract scenery. The place becomes conventional, and the theater feels at home in the space of the picture. In addition to the ephemerality of the protagonist, detachment is enhanced by the absence of the main event for which the characters are preparing - we never see the performance that they are playing. It was all a rehearsal, but a rehearsal for what? The big question that inevitably accompanies the end of life.

George (performed by women, his name always sounds aspirated, they flirtatiously avert their eyes) left many mysteries (in addition to the outlined love intizhki): "You will never understand what is in his head", "What he wanted to show with this - perhaps in this way did he try to arrange our lives? " Riley, life, death are conventions, so don't take it all too seriously. Alain René, having gathered his favorite actors and played out the story of the passing of a certain George (or just a person), spoke in many ways about himself. Having made just such a film at the end of his life, the director bequeathed to conduct it to a major melody. By the way, the composition of Strauss, the leitmotif of the film, is called “To love, drink and sing”. An inspiring, joyful and life-affirming comedy advises to be adults without losing childish enthusiasm,and be sure to pause so the audience can laugh.