Wrap a plot around terminal illness and you’ve got ready-made fodder for melodrama, but François Ozon refuses to travel that sentimental road in Time to Leave (Le Temps qui Reste). The skilled French director accomplishes this through his unsympathetic portrayal of protagonist Romain (Melvil Poupaud), a successful gay fashion photographer, who finds that he has only months to live with cancer spreading throughout his system. Forgoing chemotherapy, Romain proceeds to part with friends and family his own unique way—in essence, cutting himself off from everyone. He is determined to die alone. Whether this is to protect others from feeling pain, to avoid expressing uncomfortable feelings, or to come to terms with himself is left open for interpretation.

With dysfunctional family in tow, most filmmakers would include formulaic redemption scenes—say along the lines of The Barbarian Invasions; however, Ozon’s protagonist continues to hold off his aggressive mother (Marie Rivière), further deepen the chasm with his adoring sister, and break off from his young handsome Aryan boyfriend Sasha (Christian Sengewald) to cement his isolation. Knowing his lover’s need for constant companionship, Sasha figures that Romain will be hooking up with another, but such is not the case.

Romain self-admittedly states that he is not a nice guy, and he treats his mother, sister, and lover cruelly. Surprisingly, he still expresses affection for his long philandering father and wonders why he never split up with his mother. Although he never tells his father about his imminent death, his father reflects that his son is incapable of verbalizing his inner feelings. This is true to a great extent; however, he does disclose his secret to his grandmother (Jeanne Moreau) since they have something in common—both are approaching death. These scenes provide the most emotional depth, as they share great rapport with each other. And Romain doesn’t even have to snort cocaine to help the time pass in her presence.

It’s a real treat to see Jeanne Moreau again. Most well known for her unforgettable Catherine in Truffaut’s Jules et Jim, the aging actress supplies dark touches of humor by explaining how she holds death off with bottles of supplements. She may be hooked on the Omega 3 currently, but she was obviously quite a bohemian in her day—another reason that she hits it off so well with her grandson. Casting Moreau in this role provokes possible irony—causing cinephiles to flashback and wonder if Romain is heading for a spectacular suicidal mission.

Primarily, Romain engages in time tripping by recalling childhood moments—a moment of wonderment at the beach, a forest walk with his father, a holy water prank with a friend, a first kiss that provokes puzzlement at the time. These are all designed to signal how Romain seeks his inner child to discover his place in the universe. There are also small moments that bring Romain to the brink of redemption—an especially touching cell phone call to his sister followed with a poignant digital camera shot when we discover that he’s actually near by.

What makes Ozon’s film noteworthy is his steadfast refusal to tie up all the loose ends neatly and plunge into the expected melodrama. Trimmed to 85 minutes, Time to Leave doesn’t overburden the audience with its flawed central character. While he occasionally repels by his insensitive behavior, Ozon’s character study maintains its focus and disturbs appropriately. Not everyone is destined to live out their final months nobly and die with Hollywood flair; some will just pass away quietly . . . and alone.