Peaceful

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Peaceful

2021

2h 2m

Drama

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

31%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A man is in denial of a serious illness, and his mother faces the unbearable. Between them, a doctor and a nurse fight to do their job and help them find acceptance.

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Marya E. Gates

RogerEbert.com

A plodding drama that traps [Catherine Deneuve] in a one-dimensional grieving mother role.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 28, 2022

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Beatrice Loayza

New York Times

The film frequently dips into unintentional absurdity, yes, but it also captivates, thanks to the powers of the Gallic film-world heavyweights Benoît Magimel and Catherine Deneuve.

Oct 28, 2022

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David Ehrlich

IndieWire

The director’s palliative need for drama often snuffs out the very truths that “Peaceful” vows to restore to the process of dying.

Rated: C

Oct 27, 2022

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Nuha Hassan

Nuha Hassan (Medium)

The movie never shies away from showing his pain. But it struggles to identify emotional moments within the narrative.

Sep 8, 2023

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Lael Loewenstein

FilmWeek (LAist)

A mixed bag... But good for the performance of Gabriel Sara.

Nov 30, 2022

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Dan Mecca

The Film Stage

There’s a practical application to what’s observed here, one that will surely help those dealing with something like Benjamin’s awful circumstances. Unfortunately, as a standalone piece of dramatic entertainment, it never fully congeals.

Rated: C+

Nov 7, 2022

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Nathana J

What a wonderful movie for all people to watch, it is the most beautiful story of how to process loss, of any kind. The story is filmed with the real life Compassionate doctor, playing himself. Wouldn't be wonderful if all doctors were like this??? Let's make sure we train doctors and health care workers to care about how people FEEL on every level. SUPERB!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/20/22

Full Review

Audience Member

The critics are wrong. For anyone with loved ones who faced terminal illness, this film is real and powerful and relevant and nuanced. It helped me immeasurably as I struggle to think about loss and love, and I immediately wanted my brother — who is struggling with cancer — to see it as well. It is painful at times but also powerful and hopeful and beautiful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/02/22

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roy h

This was a great movie about a 40-something guy dying of cancer. It is not maudlin, it is very clear-headed about what happens when you get a diagnosis of not much time left. The doctor caring for him is very progressive but very straight-forward. The patient and his mother have a complicated relationship. Patient thinks his life has no loose ends, he appears to be mistaken. Very true-to-life, in my experience, except the doctor is more advanced in relating to patients than many actual doctors. He also has more time to do this than many actual doctors. French with English subtitles.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Emmanuelle Bercot

Director

Catherine Deneuve

Crystal

Benoît Magimel

Benjamin

Cécile de France

Eugénie

Oscar Morgan

Léandre

Lou Lampros

Lola

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Synopsis

A man is in denial of a serious illness, and his mother faces the unbearable. Between them, a doctor and a nurse fight to do their job and help them find acceptance.

Director: Emmanuelle Bercot
Producer: François Kraus, Denis Pineau-Valencienne
Screenwriter: Marcia Romano, Emmanuelle Bercot, Marcia Romano
Production Co: France 2 Cinéma, StudioCanal, Les Films du Kiosque, Scope Pictures
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Runtime: 2h 2m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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