Gone by Joan Bentosela

After watching the work, all I could think of was where is my wife and two kids now? Are they safe, are they ok? What a powerful and moving piece of work done by the multi talented “Joan Bentosela” who was able to transport the audience into a real emotional roller coaster.

The screenplay holds an amazing plot twist that comes as a real slap in the face as the events unfold and the story line develops, this reflects true maturity and understanding of the world of screenwriting by the writer who was able to think “outside of the box” and deliver a masterpiece that deserves to be praised. Acting wise, actress “Aurélie Pitrat” did more than a fine job in portraying the psychologically ill character of “Murielle”, this kind of acting comes as a result of proper research and hard work as it isn’t easy to embody such a case without falling into the “cliché” and “Pitrat” did her homework and transported the work into an even higher level of excellence, mastering her body language and facial expressions made it all the more realistic and had the viewers glued to the screen till the last moment of the film.

Technically, again we see the innovative work of “Joan Bentosela” who through his simplicity delivered ultimate sophistication, be it from his style of shooting and the close ups that are used to show detailed emotions to the chosen colors they all reflect the sense of maturity that was mentioned earlier, as for the music used; it is obvious that very specific moments where chosen thus it was not overly abused and it fitted the moment and enhanced the already existing mood.

In the end, this film deals with a very delicate subject in a very powerful manner; mental health issues, trauma and its repercussions lived are not something to be taken lightly, “Joan Bentosela” gave an excellent representation of that in a very unique and creative manner allowing the viewers to engage directly with the unfolding events. This film is a must see (not just once) and a final standing ovation is due to all the cast and crew for the amazing outcome, in hopes that we will be enjoying their work in the future as they will definitely leave a big mark in the world of film-making if they succeed in delivering such high-quality end results.

N.Khouri Ph.D

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