Another masterful film from Claude Sautet. There is sense of real life being lived, through so many small and telling observations about characters. Sautet uses locations, surrounding and dialog to create this realistic world, and his credible characters populate it. Of course, without top flight actors, it might not work as well. Patrick Dewaere gives what seems a definitive performance as the son whose life had gone off track, but who now honestly intends to make a go of things. As his father, Yves Robert is brilliant as well: the look of surprised recognition when we first see him, and the scene that follows it, are perfect examples of character and plot revelation achieved with seemingly minimal effort. The film does not take the expected turns, so we can anticipate and be surprised along the way. Brigitte Fossey, Claire Maurier and the unforgettable Jacques Dufilho (who won an award for this film) as the opera-loving friend who understands something about life) form an ensemble that could hardly be improved upon. This is a film that's much more than just a movie. It's a deep entry into disorderly and sometimes painful real lives.
