Excellent, a Must See

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Every scene was like watching a poem come to life with music, video visual art, and drama!

Departure is a masterful examination of four people whose individual worlds are in disarray. Young men haphazardly figuring out their place in the world, a middle aged having to address the truth about their marriage.It's definitely not a feel good film nor is it as heavily focused on the queer relationship as the trailer suggests. Departure is one of the better looking films I've seen in a while. Almost every scene could make an intriguing photograph. The film is realistically atmospheric. It's also one of the rare films where long shots of the characters just staring and thinking actually conveys meaning.The beauty of the film and the portrayal by the actors makes Departure worth watching.

Have you ever watched a film and ended up frustrated to see that nothing in the characters' lives significantly changes by the climax?I'll cut to the chase, short and sweet: Departure is depressing, but not in a moving, atmospheric sort of way. It's not an accomplishment. It's sad in the same abstract way as a low-resolution image of a ham sandwich in a dim room or a bowl of cereal without enough milk.It's a complete failure of executing a simple idea, feeling simultaneously anxiety-inducing and bland; following the dialogue is a nightmare, almost hilariously so, and I am still uncertain whether awkward, nonsensical conversations are intended as surrealism or simply bad writers doing what they do best. It's almost as if the characters simply cannot hear each other speak and go off on spontaneous tangents about nothing.I found none of the characters engaging or even deserving of sympathy, and the relationship between the two main boys is forced and anticlimactic, never quite reaching any sort of pivotal point.Stoic, unimpressive acting, depressing atmosphere, and zero progression after nearly two hours of material. I'd rather slap myself than watch this again.

Teenage Elliott and his mother Beatrice return for one last time to the beautiful family house in South-West France in the autumn, to pack up and sell it. Whilst there, they meet someone who touches them both."Do you think you can know something before it happens?" asks the young Elliott. As the autumn leaves fall and Elliott explores his sexuality, he realises the summer of innocence is gone forever. Juliet Stevenson and Alex Lawther are perfect in this haunting film. The photography is stunningly beautiful and complimented by a wonderful soundtrack including Oliver Daldry.This is a film you will want to see again.