Whenever the world is plunged into any form of chaos, it is always the first responders that tend to be the most reliable in keeping order, and we currently have more reason than ever before to celebrate these hardworking men and women that put themselves on the frontlines to defend and protect us, offering everyone the help and support they need, especially in these trying times. Someone who has not made a secret of her appreciation for these individuals is Catherine Corsini, who pays tribute to them in the form of The Divide (French: La Fracture), her wonderfully eccentric and deeply meaningful voyage into the heart of a hospital, focusing on both the patients and medical professionals throughout a single evening as people weave in and out of these corridors, some of them being faced with life-threatening conditions that make urgency a priority, all of which goes to show the very challenging lives of people on both sides of the operating table. A beautiful and deeply moving manifesto on the healthcare industry and the role it plays in the lives of the French people, The Divide is a revealing and compelling portrait of the contemporary world through the eyes of a group of people that most likely wish they were not interacting, or rather would prefer to meet each other in more pleasant circumstances – but as we’ve seen quite often, it is usually the most chaotic and challenging moments that tend to be the most insightful, and through this fascinating blend of dark humour and deeply moving drama, we have a film that is forthright in its message, which it delivers with precision and honesty, much more than many of us may have initially expected from this material, which is a lot more captivating than it appears on the surface, becoming a dynamic and meaningful celebration of the human condition, delivered by a truly extraordinary filmmaker who has always shown a remarkable aptitude for the stories that are not always present in contemporary cinema.

Corsini is one of our greatest living filmmakers, and while her style is much more muted than that of her contemporaries, her approach is to cut to the heart of humanity, delivering stunning and profoundly powerful stories of individuals defying the odds that come with their surroundings, and instead going in search of something much deeper and more profound, in spite of the obstacles that surround them. Much of her previous work looked at romance and the challenges that often come with expressing your love for someone who may not be able to reciprocate, or embracing your identity in times when it was perhaps deemed more appropriate to suppress these feelings. However, despite these challenges we have a film that is very much focused on examining issues that are slightly less pastoral in their sensibilities, but not any less impressive in how they handle certain issues. Tackling the entire healthcare industry was a daring choice, since it is such a complex, sprawling concept; the gall to earnestly believe that you can capture the entire essence of the subject is remarkable. Corsini has been making films for long enough to know what concepts work, and which are better left untouched, and with almost complete certainty, her decision to make The Divide was motivated by her belief that she could offer something new and compelling, rather than just retreading the same paltry talking-points that usually defined the subject when it comes up in conversation. Beautifully poetic in a way that we don’t expect from this premise, The Divide is a fascinating blend of comedy and drama, with the Kafka-esque humour helping soften the very intense narrative blows that occur throughout the film, creating quite an unconventional social realist fable that touches on issues not only restricted to the healthcare industry, but to the human condition as a whole, with themes such as queer identity and social activism being nestled right at the heart of this film, and explored so beautifully by the director in her pursuit for deeper and more convincing truths.

The Divide is a film in which every action has to be believed with an almost heartbreaking sense of honesty, since it toggles such a narrow line between humour and pathos, it would fall apart if we were not fully convinced of the merits that surround the film. At its heart, four central performances are worth noting – the film employs an ensemble cast, but this quartet are the main figureheads for both the story and its underlying themes. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Marina Foïs play the middle-aged couple undergoing problems with their relationship, but who are forced to confront these issues in less-than-ideal circumstances when the former falls and fractures her elbow, leading them to spend a night in the hospital, closer in these surroundings than they had been in years. Pio Marmaï is the rambunctious young protester who gets himself into potentially life-threatening trouble as a result of his inability to show restraint, and Aïssatou Diallo Sagna (in her film debut) is the dedicated nurse that acts as the uniting factor amongst them, someone who has pledged her life to helping people, but who is gradually losing her grasp on reality as she begins to feel the psychological effect of her vocation. These four are extraordinary, and they manage to work so well across from each other since they not only understand the tone of the film, but also play distinctly different characters, which allows them to riff off each other in ways that are both humorous and deeply moving. It also helps that they are committed to portraying these characters as unimpeachably human, without any sense of irony or excess, which is quite an achievement considering the tonal shifts that occur throughout this film. This is a rare case of a film lacking a singular standout, since these performances are all so symbiotic, being interwoven in detailed and compelling ways. Corsini could not have cast The Divide more perfectly, and the level of detail that everyone brings to this film is simply extraordinary.

Undeniably, watching The Divide right now is quite a disorienting experience, knowing that we are currently seeing mass unease in France as a result of political changes that have caused discord amongst the different classes, leading to what is being called eerily similar to the early days of the French Revolution (albeit only in terms of mass anger, rather than in violence), and Corsini draws on her nation’s tendency towards mass demonstrations when crafting this film. The Divide is not about the events we are experiencing right now (since it is set in 2018), but it is part of the broader conversation around social change and the demands of those that set aside their education and work for the sake of supporting a cause, fighting in the streets and often suffering physical and psychological effects, which then in turn forces them to be dependent on the exact system that it is criticizing. All art is inherently political, and Corsini makes it very clear that she looks on these protests as not only admirable, but entirely essential, which the precisely why this film exists, and feels like such a rich, exuberant exercise in social commentary. The most fascinating aspect of this film is that, despite being focused on a very specific moment in time (including using the name of current politicians and other details that situate it to a particular milieu), there is likely never going to be a context, both temporally and geographically, where The Divide is not relevant. Corsini may be focused on telling a quintessentially French story, but her themes are universal – social unease, the demand for less corruption and more service delivery, and the overall sense of working-class malaise are all subjects that many of us can relate to, even if not on a personal level. Her ability to capture the fire and fury that underpins any social movement is beyond impressive and helps ground this film within a very recognisable, earnest version of reality.

The Divide is a truly remarkable film, handcrafted by a director who is almost too flawless as an artist to fully adjudicate, since she carries herself with so much self-assurance, the very act of seeing her deliver such a striking, compelling film is enough to keep us entirely engaged and interested in this material. It can sometimes be a challenging film to watch, and the jagged tone only complicates it, since we are voyaging through this story which is not quite sure whether it wants to be a comedy or drama, which seems to be intentionally done to create a sense of confusion and complexity in an already layered film. As a whole, The Divide is quite an achievement there are so many nuances that we miss at first that require further thought (the choice to change the English title to “The Divide” rather than the original French “La Fracture” is one of the few missteps, since the latter title has a very clever double meaning that takes a few moments to notice, but creates quite an unforgettable contrast that reflects both the wit and heart of this film), and like any well-crafted drama, it has its moments of outward brilliance that can sometimes be difficult to penetrate, but are nonetheless very important in establishing a clear tone that may oscillate wildly, but all with a purpose. Social change is sometimes best represented in the art produced at a very particular moment, which is something that Corsini realises and recognises with a lot of fervency and emotion. A compelling social drama with a lot of heart and humour, The Divide is an incredible and captivating film that understands the importance of telling these stories, and doing so in a way that is both meaningful and complete.