User reviews

How do people win loneliness? A doctor can be a good help, especially if you live in a French small town. And when the doctor is an incurable idealist, everything is easier. His diagnoses are worth their weight in gold and things can begin to change slowly. The loser is probably the same doctor who cannot find peace for his heart. The directeur is a thoughtful and sympathetic observer of his hero but he works very well.

This film about a super doctor who seems to do everything fine while being quite stressed makes everything for us to "identify" with him. Nevertheless, I felt nothing. In that respect, it felt more like a documentary or a cliché about "life of a clinician that 'could be you'". The bothersome mum, middle age questions, town gossip, people who talk too much and drift from topic to topic instead of talking about the problem, everybody very concerned about money, how much he charges and if the social security would cover them, the "philosophical questions" (life, death, abortions, giving birth, sickness, addictions, family tensions, adultery, unusual sexual practices, people who need shrinks rather than doctors, relatives who want a certificate to get rid of a cumbersome family member or two, selfishness, the old doctor who hides sorrows, married men who give illusions to other women, "men are like that", the devoted secretary, everybody judging private lives, and mixing it with professional qualifications, the "sensitive doctor who writes and is concerned, probably too much, about his/her patients (specially women seem to be "his type"), the distant admirer, the nice woman who works at the local café, the inevitable patient who turns into a perfect lover, the old doctor's phrase at his birthday: "I forgot you could be so involved with your patients"... And yes, classical music, a small piece played by Reinhard Goebel which, in the end, gives you more distress than "cure".

There's one phrase that lingered after the film was over: (Lonely woman that goes on a Sunday and starts sobbing): "I'm sorry, I'm not sick". Doctor: "But you're in pain".

The film is OK, quite funny at times, but, honestly speaking, I never understood one bit of Docteur Bruno Sachs, let alone of his alleged sickness. The ending didn't help. His love interest was cold as must be winter in rural France. I can't say I liked the film, but will pass it to my doctor and cousins who study medicine, I suppose it'll make them laugh, at least the accumulation of different, seemingly endless ailments that the human species can produce, bodily and otherwise.

I agree with wombat_1 from Sydney that the movie is stereotyped, but in the particular example he quotes, at least I understood it was a one hour interview. In fact, the grouchy mum even complains: "he charged me 2 sessions, but ...". To Gabriel Rocha from Barcelona, the musical score is Jean-Fery Rebel's "Élements" by Musiqua Antiqua Koln by R. Goebel on DG. There' a tiny sound bit on You Tube, it's the 1st movement, but IMDb doesn't let me quote a long link... (The CD is on Amazon, can't give it x the same motif.

I agree with daniel-charles2 that there's no action, no "anything", and too that it nevertheless it succeeds. But disagree on his "you need perfect French and local knowledge to get this film". I don't understand French well at all, and I don't know any of the local habits. Nevertheless I think I understood the gist of this film thou.

Alice Liddel's "numbing sameness" is very accurate, and her postmodern interpretation is brilliant. Nevertheless her insight that the housekeeper is named Borges doesn't lead her to the text where he speaks about the value of both kinds of literature, the "character" (for instance, H. James) and "action". I agree that it's a very literary film, but didn't like neither the flashbacks and even less the two "family traumas" he indulges in all the film (his dad's reassuring wristwatch, and why he doesn't want to have children) the only moments in which we see "the man behind the mask of the profession". I agree with her again they tend to "make a saint of him", and he's like a priest who confesses more than "only" practicing a trade.

Enjoy while not pretending to get "full blown cinema".

This is everything one does NOT expect from a movie -there is no action, no beginning and no end, no linearity, and such a multitude of characters... all specifics one generally links to boring experimental or "avant-garde" movies (or just self-centered French movies)- and still "La Maladie de Sachs" works, it grips you and you can't leave it. Michel Deville's art demonstrates, better than most films, the magical hold of cinema. It takes a very real situation (one of the doctors in the village next to mine could have served as model)and transforms it into an universal example, a paradigm of man's behavior in front of illness. And despite the subject, this is an optimistic movie, at times delightfully ironical. This must have been a very challenging film for Deville -but it is not at all a challenging one for the viewer, its so easy to see because it is such a complete, uncanny success. One word of caution though: to really get into the film one needs to see it in French, and have a perfect understanding not only of the language, but of the local habits.

I just have seen this little jewel and found sensible and full of human valours that make the world be proud. I liked everything and imagine the dificulties for mr. deville to prepare this unbelievable casting. and what to say for the drops of music inserted in the film... I need your help, can anyone tell me which piece of the baroque music used as score and who is the author of the music.

In general, I would agree with Alice Liddell's well thought out and written critique. In general. Some minor points.

First and foremost, this movie shares a little bit with your generic cop shows, where you know that no matter how complex the murder, how many red herrings are caught, you are confident that by the end of 60 minutes (less commercials), the murderer will be caught, will have confessed, and all loose ends tied up. This show has a little bit of that. The interactions with the patients are too smoooth, too glib, too easy. For example, one doesn't turn an angry teenage girl into a model compassionate and understanding child in one 10-minute session, no matter how good one is.

Secondly, it is little colourless (I mean literally!), I thought. Is provincial France really that dreary? I kinda doubt it.

But yes, a good film overall. Not great, but good.