“Peaceful” and Incredibly Powerful!

By Frederic A., Friend

On Wednesday, January 18, 2023 about 150 people gathered at Cobble Hill Cinemas to attend Con-solatio’s movie night. This month, we were invited to the screening of  De Son Vivant (Peaceful), a rare and courageous movie written by Emmanuelle Bercot and starring Catherine Deneuve, Benoit Magimel, Cecile de France, and Dr. Gabriel Sara, who plays himself as an oncologist. The movie casts a new light on the meaning of death and the journey of self-acceptance. It was an exceptional evening, blessed with the presence of Dr. Sara himself, who led an inspiring Q&A session afterwards.

The film is incredibly powerful, deeply moving, touching, with moments of incredible sadness as well as moments of joy, celebration, and love. We witness the journey of Ben, who is facing terminal illness, from denial to acceptance of his illness. We see his transformation as he relates to his mother, thinks of the child whom he abandoned, and inspires the troupe of aspiring actors who he is preparing for entrance to a conservatory. We are inspired by Dr. Sara, who is an advocate of the Truth, and his unconventional ways of building a bond with his patients. The most poignant moment of the movie is when Dr. Sara encourages Ben to make peace before the end and “clean up the desk of his life.” There are five words Dr. Sara says should be used with loved ones when the moment comes – forgive me; I forgive you; I love you; thank You; goodbye. Those words have resonated with me ever since, and I’ll continue to cherish them!