Skip to main content
Let Me Go film image

Let Me Go

Laissez-moi

This event has passed

North American Premiere

This erotically charged drama set in the Swiss Alps stars the utterly captivating Jeanne Balibar (Memoria) as a mature single woman seeking companionship through intimate encounters with men staying at a remote mountain chalet. In a game of seduction well known to the staff, she zeroes in on a gentleman of interest and engages in guarded but pointed small talk in her pursuit of pleasure behind closed doors. She then re-buttons her dress and returns to caring for her disabled son. Until one day she picks someone who plans to stick around.

Maxime Rappaz makes a stunning feature debut reminiscent of the polished works of Tom Ford and Paul Thomas Anderson with this modern take on a classic love story that explores desire at an age rarely depicted on screen. Transitioning from a career in fashion, his background lends itself naturally to a portrait of an enigmatic, meticulously put-together dame full of fiery yearning, while Balibar adds a touch of charm and elegance that will never go out of style.

 

Presented by

Supported by

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Jeanne Balibar, Thomas Sarbacher, Pierre-Antoine Dubey, Véronique Mermoud, Adrien Savigny

Credits
Country of Origin

Switzerland/France/Belgium

Year

2023

Series

Vanguard

Language

In French with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
92 min
Drama Romance

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Producer

Gabriela Bussmann, Yan Decoppet,Camile Genaud

Screenwriter

Maxime Rappaz, Marion Vernoux, Florence Seyvos

Cinematography

Benoit Dervaux

Editor

Caroline Detournay

Production Design

Ivan Niclass, Rekha Musale

Original Music

Antoine Bodson

Director

Maxime Rappaz headshot

Maxime Rappaz

Born in 1986 in Geneva, Maxime Rappaz worked in the fashion world before turning to cinema. In 2016, he obtained a master’s degree in cinema and screenwriting, he then directed the short film L’été tendresse. His first feature film Laissez-Moi, starring Jeanne Balibar, will be released in 2023. Maxime Rappaz is currently writing his second feature film.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Turtle Island Rap
Turtle Island Rap film image; woman singing into a microphone

Turtle Island Rap

Dir. Alexandra Lazarowich
97 min

Taking us into the world of Indigenous hip-hop, this soulful doc profiles three up-and-comers in the genre. Exploring its subject’s personal lives as well as their career moves, the film is a work of complex human portraiture — and the music is terrific.

International Village 9

Send the Rain

Dir. Hayley Gray, Kaayla Whachell
94 min

In Kaayla Whachell and Hayley Gray's tender drama Send the Rain, a young Okinawan-Canadian attempts to evacuate her stubborn grandmother from a wildfire zone, forcing both women to confront family history, responsibility, and the pull of home.

Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
The Difficult Bride
The Difficult Bride film image; two women dressed in saris

The Difficult Bride

Dir. Rubaiyat Hossain
87 min

The Difficult Bride follows Zaineen, a young woman preparing for her marriage. Through a blend of feminist social commentary, psychological horror, and surreal imagery, the film explores female desire, fear, and the weight of societal expectations.

Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island International Village 9

A Bit of Light

Dir. Ali Asgari
87 min

A Bit of Light follows a doctor who plans to end his life following his arrest and the closure of his practice. The film ultimately asks what might reconnect a person to life when faith in institutions, work, and the future have been exhausted.

The Park Theatre Fifth Avenue Cinema - 19+ only
17
17 film image; girl looking out a window

17

Dir. Kosara Mitić
105 min

Seventeen-year-old Sara is hiding a big secret during her school trip, but when she witnesses the sexual assault of her best friend, her secret becomes impossible to hide. Kosara Mitić shines a light on the most volatile corners of the teenage experience.

International Village 10
A Girl Unknown
A Girl Unknown film image; woman crouching by a child on the beach

A Girl Unknown

Dir. Zou Jing
128 min

In this tender, compassionate drama, we see the hardships endured by a young girl adopted in the early 1980s during China’s one-child policy. As a teenager in the 90s, she’s still fighting to find a sense of belonging and assert her worth.

International Village 8 VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema