From François Ozon (8 Women, Swimming Pool) comes a powerful family drama in which a daughter is forced to reconcile with her father and their shared past after he contacts her with a devastating final wish. When André (André Dussollier) suffers a debilitating stroke and calls on his daughter Emmanuèle (Sophie Marceau) to help him die with dignity, she finds herself faced with a painful decision. Based on Emmanuèle Bernheim’s memoir and an Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, Everything Went Fine’s matter-of-factness elicits moments of humor that renders an otherwise weighty topic accessible. Steering clear of the moral arguments such issues often raise, the film instead focuses on the reckoning Emmanuéle has with her stubborn and unrelenting father and how to help him, with Ozon tackling a difficult subject with exceptional intelligence and sensitivity. Featuring stunning central performances by Marceau and Dussollier as well as a scene-stealing cameo by Charlotte Rampling as André’s ex-wife.

For in-depth thoughts on Everything Went Fine, please see my colleague Cody Allen’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Everything Went Fine comes to Blu-Ray with a lovely 1080p presentation that captures this film perfectly. This is a visually crisp but stylistically reserved film with pristine shots of hospital rooms and apartment interiors where you can see an incredible amount of detail. There is an almost three dimensional nature to the texture of the setting. The cooler color palette delivers a nice depth in elements of the clothing and production design. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. Highlights are handled beautifully with no hint of blooming in sight. The black levels are immensely deep and do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. There are no instances of intrusive digital noise in the presentation. Cohen Media Group has provided a perfectly realized presentation for this one.

Audio Quality

The film comes to Blu-Ray with an effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original French. Cohen continues their practice of providing forced subtitles which might be annoying to native speakers of the language. The movie features next to nothing in the way of action, but there is a constant stream of environmental activity which comes through particularly well. The somber score aids a lot in the tone the film establishes as it flows through with flawless fidelity. The low end of the track is not very active, as subtle environmental sounds make more of an impression in the surrounds. Dialogue and sound effects are in harmony with the soundtrack where nothing gets muddled in the track. Surround channels get some nice activity with the ambience of the hospital floor. This track is really quite pleasing.

Special Features

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Everything Went Fine is far from a breezy watch, but it is ultimately really rewarding if your heart can handle the emotional journey. The main character expertly played by Sophie Marceau is put through the emotional wringer, and the actress conveys this pain so honestly that you cannot help but feel it alongside her. The narrative is not revolutionary, but it is pulled off with a deft hand thanks to the filmmaking prowess of François Ozon. This one will break your heart in all of the best ways. Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have released a Blu-Ray featuring a top notch A/V presentation and next to nothing in the way of special features. If you are a fan of Ozon or deeply emotional narratives, this is worth your time. Recommended

Everything Went Fine is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.