‘The Restless’ Review: The Painful Cycles of Mental Illness

Joachim Lafosse’s newest movie, “The Restless,” makes a valiant effort to depict the toll that bipolar dysfunction can tackle individuals and their family members. We’re launched to Damien (Damien Bonnard), a painter, in the course of a manic episode on trip together with his household; whereas gently instructing his younger son, Amine (Gabriel Merz Chammah), tips on how to steer a motorboat, Damien immediately leaps into the water for a swim, telling Amine to take over driving. From there, it’s one incident after one other as Damien behaves erratically at greatest and dangerously at worst, testing the persistence of his spouse, Leïla (Leïla Bekhti), as she struggles to discover a appropriate therapy for his sickness.

Bonnard and Bekhti each floor their performances in a understanding realism. Together with Lafosse’s intimate course and the movie’s lack of a rating, this helps “The Restless” keep away from any mawkishness which may have come from its premise. The drawback, sadly, lies in the identical round patterns of habits that the movie goals to make clear. We hardly get a glimpse of Damien outdoors of his mania, making it troublesome to characterize the individual beneath the dysfunction. While these acquainted with the situation might relate to the repetitive destructiveness of his actions, it in the end makes for a paper-thin narrative, one which has to fill out its two-hour working time with predictable shouting matches and dramatic beats. Lafosse’s empathy as a director is admirable, however “The Restless” falls wanting placing a compelling story to movie.

The Restless
Not rated. In French, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 57 minutes. Watch on Film Movement Plus.