Since February 9, “More Than Ever” is in Russian theaters—a poignant melodrama about facing the inevitable, which paradoxically became Gaspard Ulliel’s swan song.

A sickly-looking girl tries to gather her strength in the semi-darkness of a minimalist apartment, but nothing works. A young man enters the room, trying to cheer her up and even offering to do her makeup, bringing a smile to his beloved’s face.

This touching everyday scene opens the film “More Than Ever” (Plus que jamais), a new work by Berlin-born Emily Atef (“3 Days with Romy Schneider,” “Killing Eve”), who for the first time directed a film in French and made it as French as possible.

The girl in question, who, as we will discover a bit later, is terminally ill, is played by the jewel of European cinema Vicky Krieps, and her partner is Gaspard Ulliel. Their story is an attempt to show how lovers try to cope with the main inevitability in everyone’s life: death.

Accept Fate or Fight?

Films about characters with incurable diseases inevitably lead to one outcome, differing only in their paths and emphases. “More Than Ever” does not attempt to be unpredictable: you will understand how the film ends from the first few minutes. But that is not important at all. The main thing is the nuances and reflections with which the heroes’ dialogues and actions are saturated.

In “More Than Ever,” Atef confronts two points of view on approaching death—acceptance and struggle—but diplomatically does not exalt one over the other. Each side has its own truth, compelling arguments, and potential supporters among the audience. However, psychology enthusiasts will be convinced that these are just different stages of acceptance and will not be far from the truth.

Actors’ Benefit

Another important nuance of the film is the Krieps-Ulliel tandem. They deliver strong performances individually (for most of the screen time, the heroine spends away from her husband—in Norway), but when they reunite on screen, what the world of film criticism calls “chemistry” happens.

This cliché, like no other, perfectly describes the interaction of the actors, who literally dissolve into each other—whether in moments of quarrels or in episodes of intimacy. Therefore, that very inevitability, in the moment of catharsis, achieves its goal and makes the viewer, if not hurt, then certainly sad.

“More Than Ever” is Gaspard Ulliel’s Last Major Role

A major achievement of Emily Atef’s film is its nuanced and delicate narrative on a complex topic. Additionally, one could long praise the film’s visual accompaniment. The majestic and melancholic landscapes of the Norwegian fjords perfectly fit into the story of a final journey, and various cinematographic discoveries make the leisurely narrative more colorful and atmospheric. But what the creators could not have foreseen is the untimely death of one of their main actors.

Gaspard Ulliel looked into the eyes of death not only on screen but faced it himself. He did not have time to see the final version of “More Than Ever,” but if he had, he would surely have been pleased with how his journey in cinema ended. He will be remembered as young, beautiful, and endlessly touching. And his bottomless eyes during the final episode will forever remain one of the most striking cinematic impressions of 2023.