Directors: Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kervern.
Cast: Michel Houellebecq.
Certificate: N/A
Running Time: 87 minutes
Synopsis: Paul (Houellebecq) rides his bike into the mountains where he contemplates ending his life, and what the meaning of life is.
Near Death Experience tells you everything you need to know in the title. You can surmise the themes and tone, and that’s exactly what you get. Beautifully captured by a pair of directors who have given us many diversive films in the past, Near Death Experience is certainly not begging you to love it, but rather festers in a pool of talent and intelligence waiting to gently massage your mind.
Following an individual known as Paul, this is very much a one man show. Houellebecq gives us a cold but understanding performance centred around a man who wishes to end his life. He may have friends and family, but in a brilliantly cinematic way, they are not really part of Paul’s life. An opening drinking scene cuts off the heads of his drinking partners, while a later scene with the family sees them moving around in a wonderfully choreographed way that never reveals their heads. Like middle-aged women in old cartoons. Throughout the film, as Paul begins to connect, we see a bit more of people, such as from behind or from the side, before finally he starts to connect with others.
Paul cycles off into the mountains and then proceeds to hike, as he comes across different people and philosophises about life and death. Such monologues are never pretentious and often have a sense of wit and charm about them. In fact, the humour is very well developed and suited to the visual medium. After finishing his arduous cycle ride, Paul lights up a cigarette. His cycle gear suggests he is into health and fitness, although his willingness to end his life is also rather humorous in a dark way. His desperation is also well presented when he squeezes the last remaining drops of life from the bag inside his wine box.
Like Paul himself, the film starts off in a depressed state before coming alive, and this is depicted through a static camera that gradually comes to life. Landscapes are captured with confidence and the directors know how to create wonder from the natural world. One shot looks to be of a helicopter height overlooking some rich mountains, until Paul walks into shot revealing it to be just a trick of composition.
Near Death Experience is a small and personal film, which is exactly what you want given the subject matter. There are subtle moments of heartbreak and humour, such as Paul acting out different scenarios at his job flawlessly, as well as a good choice of soundtrack. Sometimes the lack of propulsion can become a tad tedious, but mostly we are engaged and enthralled by Houellebecq’s brilliance and honesty.
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