Romain (Melvil Poupaud), a cocky 31-year-old fashion photographer, finds out he is terminally ill with a metastized brain tumor and has only three months to live. Keeping his illness secret, he breaks up with his boyfriend Sasha (Christian Sengewald), antagonizes his sister Sophie (Louise-Anne Hippeau), and goes against his doctor's (Henri de Lorme) advice to give chemotherapy a chance because it only offers him a slim (less than 5%) chance of survival. Staring in the mirror, he remembers the sea and himself as a child. Cruel facing death, Romain pushes people away, knowing his good looks give him the freedom to test the people who care for him. He visits his grandmother Laura (Jeanne Moreau) to tell her, and on the way he chats briefly with a waitress. He looks at old photos, visits a childhood tree house, and takes pictures. Returning from his grandmother's, he stops for food and sees the waitress Jany (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) again. She makes a request. Romain travels around with a small digital camera, capturing moments that are very different from the fashion shoots he is used to. Nearly everywhere he goes, Romain sees himself as a child (Ugo Soussan Trabelsi), as the past invades his temporary present. Wonderfully acted and intelligently written and directed by François Ozon, this is a challenging, compelling work with a great ending. In French with English sub-titles, the English title is "Time to Leave".
