TIFF 2009: L'AFFAIRE FAREWELL
Monday, October 12, 2009 at 2:19PM | Mitchell Tully 
Released: 2009
Directed by: Christian Carion
Starring: Guillaume Canet, Emir Kusturica, Fred Ward and Williem Dafoe
Genre: Thriller
Short Review:
If you are someone that is interested in Cold War espionage films that are based on true events, this will be an easy recommendation. Christian Carion’s L’Affaire Farewell is an incredible story about a KGB spy living in Moscow who feels that his family, as well as all families living under the Soviet Union, deserves a better way to live, so he initiates several transfers of information to Western nations operatives that can severely compromise his own country. I found Emir Kusturica’s performance to be quite remarkable, playing a man with many vices but still possessing a true passion for his family.
Full Review:
L' Affaire Farewell asks a thought-provoking question: How far would you be willingly to go to change your country, hopefully for the better? Taking place in Moscow, 1981 we follow a KGB spy Sergei Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica), who has decided to leak critical documents exposing his country’s foreign agents to the enemies, risking his own life and possibly the lives of his associate Froment, and their families.
Going into the film, I had no idea what to expect from it, (I literally forgot what the film was about since I picked it 2 weeks prior) but I was pleasantly surprised to see a seemingly honest and sincere representation of the events that surrounded these individuals as well the people that caused them. The film did not try to gloss over some of the faults the individuals/governments possessed, instead they decided to include them so that the audience understood that these people are regular human beings capable of amazing things, as well as terrible things that can be utterly regrettable.
I do not claim to be the most knowledgeable person on Ronald Regan’s works (both cinematically and political) but with that being said, my initial impressions on the character was quite well done, Regan was as I would have expected to see him, with his cowboy-like personality and almost indifference towards non-Americans. However, I can’t help but feel that a few sequences with Regan (Fred Ward) was played up for a few laughs, such as Regan screening a western shootout for his chief of staff, and then discussing the importance of camera positioning and how perspective can later reveal a hidden character that plays an crucial role to the story. As hilarious as these scenes can be, I have to ask whether or not they were based on actual accounts - yet I am lead to believe they did happen because we are familiar with world leaders taking part in less-then-formal activities that let’s them relax (such as Canadian Prime Ministers appearing on ‘This Hour Has 22 Minutes’ in a Tim Horton’s or President Obama swinging a toy light saber.) Even so, I still do feel that Regan’s representation was well suited for the story being told, or at least from the film’s political stance.
While L' Affaire Farewell does not attempt to be a cold war action (if you are looking for a Bond-like thriller then this is definitely not your party), it is still well adept at generating moments of incredible tension that make you sit on the edge of your seat in anticipation wondering if they will be able to make it through unharmed. I have tried not to elaborate on any of the instances where I felt this way because it would surely ruin them. With an amazing cast and an incredible story that everyone ought to know, I have no problem recommending this film to anyone that enjoys learning about the cold war and seeing what regular people are capable of doing for their countries without the blind patriotism of John Ford.
SHARP OBJEX Rating: 3.5 out of 4
L'Affaire Farewell Trailer
Check it out with English subtitles here.
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