With You Until the End (2011, France / Belgium / UK)

Aichi Insurance Physicians’ Newspaper

In an age where “silver divorce” is becoming increasingly common, the film With You Until the End, released this spring, offers a thought-provoking narrative aimed at affluent individuals in their late fifties to sixties.

Portraying Mary, a woman searching for her place in the world—a feeling familiar to many in the “around sixty” generation—is Isabella Rossellini, daughter of Ingrid Bergman. Her husband Adam is played by William Hurt, who won an Oscar for Kiss of the Spider Woman and starred in The Doctor, where a conceited physician gains true empathy only after becoming a patient himself.

Mary, born to an English mother and an Italian father, has spent over thirty years in marriage with Adam, a world-renowned architect, living in the city of London. Their three children are now independent, and Mary, blessed with grandchildren, begins to experience unexplained moments of memory loss. This prompts her to reexamine their future together as a couple, and a quiet question begins to take root in her heart.

"What is my life, really?"Draped in designer dresses and adorned with glamour, the emptiness lingers. She cannot escape the truth: compared to younger, beautiful women with flawless skin and toned bodies, she clearly falls short. Such is aging—but unable to accept this reality, Mary embarks on an inner journey of self-discovery. As she struggles with feelings of isolation and alienation, Adam becomes increasingly engrossed in a museum design project with a team of younger colleagues. The once-harmonious relationship begins to crack, and even basic communication becomes difficult. On the verge of divorce, their three children attempt to restore the bond between Mary and Adam. Then, with the sudden passing of Mary’s mother, events take an unexpected turn. This film is a must-see for any mature couple feeling their bond unravel before death does them part.