We Won't Grow Old Together Explained

We Won't Grow Old Together
Director:Maurice Pialat
Producer:Jacques Dorfmann
Maurice Pialat
Jean-Pierre Rassam
Starring:Marlène Jobert
Jean Yanne
Cinematography:Luciano Tovoli
Editing:Bernard Dubois
Arlette Langmann
Runtime:110 minutes
Country:France
Language:French

We Won't Grow Old Together (French: '''Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble''') is a 1972 French drama film directed by Maurice Pialat. Starring Marlène Jobert, Jean Yanne, and Macha Méril, the film is based on a novel of the same name by Pialat. It recounts the end of an affair between a married man who will not leave his wife and a spirited young woman who in the end breaks free. At the 1972 Cannes Film Festival, Jean Yanne won the award for Best Actor.[1]

Plot

For six years Jean has been having an affair with Catherine. At the beginning she hoped he would divorce his wife and marry her. But disillusion with the lack of progress in his life and in their relationship, together with growing despair at the waste of her life, has set in. She meets a divorced man with a good job who likes foreign travel, and agrees to marry him. Her family, who supported her through her deepening unhappiness, are delighted. Her rival gone, Jean's wife hints at reconciliation.

Cast

Home media

We Won't Grow Old Together was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Kino Lorber on 8 August 2014.[2]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 100%, based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 8.2 out of 10.[3]

The film's re-issue was penned by critics. New York Magazine wrote "It's deeply upsetting, featuring the kind of emotional brutality we just don't see in movies anymore."[4]

Praising the director, The New Yorkers Richard Brody wrote "Pialat captures the push-and-pull of their impossible relationship with pugnacious images and abrupt editing."[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Festival de Cannes: Jean Yanne ― Awards. 21 June 2024. Cannes Film Festival.
  2. We Won't Grow Old Together (DVD Review). 11 August 2014. Home Media Magazine. Clark. Mark.
  3. Web site: We Won't Grow Old Together. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. 21 June 2024.
  4. We Won't Grow Old Together (Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble). New York.
  5. We Won't Grow Old Together. Brody. Richard. Richard Brody. The New Yorker. 23 January 2013.