As society recedes in the spring of 2020, film director Paul Berger returns to his childhood home in the provincial Chevreuse Valley. Paul hunkers down with his girlfriend Morgane, his brother Etienne, and Etienne’s new girlfriend Carole, but the makeshift household finds new ways to lacerate familiar wounds in this neurotic comedy from master filmmaker Olivier Assayas.

For in-depth thoughts on Suspended Time, please see my colleague Phil Walsh’s review from its original theatrical release here.

For additional thoughts on Suspended Time, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Suspended Time comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Music Box Selects with a 1080p transfer after releasing on DVD earlier this year. We were worried this might be stuck only in standard definition, so we are happy to see this materialize. While the story is pretty compact in terms of locations, the detail on display allows for some distinct characteristics within the production design and clothing. Colors are thoughtfully saturated with various hues coming alive in the background. Skin tones are consistent, and there are some welcome facial details present, especially in close-ups. Elements such as compression artifacts or other unwanted digital anomalies are not an issue within this image. Black levels retain great shadow detail with no signs of crush. This Blu-Ray release is a welcome release for fans of Olivier Assayas.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a straightforward DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original French which brings the story to life effortlessly. This is far from a bombastic film, but this track presents this languid movie exactly as it was intended. The film is primarily driven by dialogue, but any use of music gives the track an extra bit of vitality. Dialogue is rendered with care and comes through crisp and clear without ever being overpowered by any music or sound effects. Directionality is deftly rendered so that sounds emerge from all the natural spots. Environmental sounds are a notable part of the soundscape, such as various outdoor sounds, which make the surroundings feel more lived-in. This is a strong disc that gives the film a proper presentation. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are included.

Special Features

Interview with Director Olivier Assayas, Vincent Macaigne, Micha Lescot, and Nora Hamzawi: A 23-minute series of interviews with the director and the performers in which they discuss why they wanted to tell this story, the atmosphere on set, the themes being explored with the film, and more.

The Last Thing I Saw Podcast Interviews Olivier Assayas: A 27-minute audio excerpt from this podcast in which Assayas discusses what brought him to tell this story, the autobiographical elements, shooting in his childhood home, and more.

Image Gallery

Theatrical Trailer (1:53)

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is provided featuring an essay by film critic Glenn Kenny that examines the film from multiple angles.

Final Thoughts

Suspended Time has the benefit of being from a master filmmaker such as Olivier Assayas, but the reality is that it is lower tier among his creative output. The film is unfairly hobbled by our personal disinterest in exploring the early COVID era at this time, but even beyond this hang-up, there is not much pulling us in as we see this filmmaker trying to examine his life on screen. There are some compelling conversations sprinkled throughout the experience, and his fans should definitely seek it out, but it is far from essential Assayas. Music Box Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation along with a handful of cool special features.

Suspended Time is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

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

Disclaimer: Music Box Selects and OCN Distribution 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.