vortex…

I went along to the Watershed yesterday afternoon to see Gaspar Noé’s film “Vortex” about the struggles of an elderly couple (born in 1940 and 1944 respectively) in declining health.
Given that Moira and I are ourselves in the ‘elderly couple’ category and facing the uncertainties of old age, I thought long and hard before deciding to book my ticket – but I’m so pleased that I did.
The film's old couple are former intellectuals: he’s an author/film-maker and she's a retired psychiatrist. They live a somewhat bohemian, chaotic life in their small Parisian house crammed full of books and clutter. He is lucid but restricted by a heart condition (he’d had a stroke) and spends a lot of time coughing in the film(!); she also had a stroke some years ago and is now suffering from rapidly worsening dementia. They attempt to deal with matters, alongside their adult son, who is himself is dealing with significant personal problems. The entire film is shot in split-screen – which seems to emphasise their dual stories. The actors (Dario Argento and Françoise Lebrun) are stunningly good – it feels as if you’re watching a documentary in real time.
It makes for tough viewing…
It’s a reminder of how easy it is to retreat into our own individual worlds and to put off painful, necessary decisions… of the importance of acknowledging the ageing process and the changes it makes to even the best relationships… of the realisation that even basic day-to-day tasks can become difficult or even forgotten (medication, turning off the hob/oven/shower, dressing/undressing)… of how vulnerable people become (being no longer able to shop for themselves or even able to leave a partner alone at home)…
It’s a film about the chaotic life and all the messy disarray that old age can become for so many of us… things being left undone, decisions being put off.
It’s an incredibly powerful film – stark, but with moments of tenderness.
Before you know it, it’ll happen to you…
At the start of the film, the couple enjoy a modest meal on their rickety terrace – a simple, happy moment which turns out to be one of her last moments of lucidity.
Towards the end of the film, there’s a slideshow of photographs from the wife’s life – her childhood, her beauty as she becomes a woman, her love of life, her love of her husband and son – reminders of a life lived to the full and celebrated. I found it a very telling and poignant reflection (which made me smile).
And at the very end of the film, there’s a slideshow of photographs showing the couple’s house being cleared – emptied of books and clutter – and finally left bare. A stark, poignant and fitting end.
I think I watched the film with perhaps eight other people. I was, by far, the oldest in the audience – the rest were either twenty-somethings or maybe forty-somethings. For me, it was the reality of my old age but, for them, it was about the old age of their grandparents or parents.
A truly brilliant film.
Footnote: Throughout the film, there’s an element of denial and I suspect that’s the case for many of us approaching (or, like us, in!) old age. The couple in the film vowed that they never wanted to leave their home (largely thanks to Moira, we downsized some nine months ago – and, in retrospect, what a brilliant decision that was!)(and our three daughters wholeheartedly agree!). For couples fortunate enough to survive into old age together, there are the inevitable questions of: Who will die first? Who will take on the burden of care? But also, I suspect, there’s a need to re-assess things on a very regular basis and to make the necessary adjustments accordingly (some easier than others). Patience, sense of humour and love seem to be the key. x