Can the pathetic be poetic? That is the question we at the Playlist asked ourselves after viewing “Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me).” Having won the Best Editing Jury Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014, the Belgian documentary is finally getting a U.S. theatrical release at the Museum of the Moving Image from November 18th to the 27th. Presented in small increments, or chapters, the film begins with Marcel being left heartbroken by his wife who has found another man. His last ditch efforts for sex before she goes only fuels her departure, and she takes their three children and all of the furniture with her.
With his life in pieces, Marcel leans on Bob, the only person left who seems to tolerate his self-pity. Although both men are fully-fledged alcoholics, Bob is a weather worn statue of rum soaked distance, while Marcel is the maudlin drunk, who misses his wife, his kids, and promises each drink will be his last. This film explores their friendship, their drinking, and the scenic and sterile woods in which they reside. They are broken men living a broken existence.
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Self-contained, Bob lives on the outskirts of town where chopping wood is paramount. Estranged from his son, Bob surprises him in town for an afternoon filled with beer, his son’s resentment, and awkward conversation. If Bob breathes stoicism, Marcel paints an opposite picture and is warm, soft-hearted and clearly adores his children. We see his love for his three children is reciprocated when a weekend visit has ended, and they are reluctantly forced to leave, crying heartbreaking tears as they are packed up and shuffled back with mom.
Marcel strives for redemption by entering a ten day detox program, but once inside, he hits another low, aimlessly wandering the halls lost and incoherent. In due course, the charm that must have lured Marcel’s wife starts to come out as he sobers up, and we find the off duty nursing staff enjoying his company and bawdy humor, offering their support for when he is on the other side of the door. But will this new found sobriety last when he is back in the old wooden chairs by the fire next to his only friend? The answer is what you might expect and comes in the form of a car crash, and a son who has moved without letting his father know, all while life, as it is, continues.
Sabine Lubbe Bakker is an award winning documentarian, and co-directed “Ne Me Quitte Pas” with Niels van Koevorden, making his first feature length film. Exploring the hidden parts of Belgium in search of a story, van Koevorden’s personal relationship with Bob inspired this exploration into the lives of those who are resigned to destroy themselves. Bakker and Koevorden have made a sleek and captivating documentary, and the rhythm of Bob and Marcel’s interaction and the pain in which they continue to just go on, is shot with distinctive style and makes for an impressive film.
Even though “Ne Me Quitte Pas” is playing for a short time in the US, it’s worth tracking down as Marcel and Bob will remain impossible to forget. [B+]