Staying Vertical

A spoiler light review of Staying Vertical should begin with tone, because Alain Guiraudie understands exactly how this comedy ought to feel. Staying Vertical gains early credibility from Damien Bonnard, whose presence is balanced by the different rhythm of India Hair. The foundation of Staying Vertical can be stated simply: A film maker has to raise a child by himself whilst looking for an inspiration for his new film. Within its 1h 38m running time, Staying Vertical reveals both the benefits and the limits of that disciplined approach.

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Staying Vertical relies heavily on Damien Bonnard, and the performance responds with enough specificity to carry changes in mood. The contribution of India Hair gives Staying Vertical a useful counterweight instead of merely echoing the lead. Raphaël Thiéry makes the smaller exchanges in Staying Vertical count, often through timing rather than emphatic dialogue. Alain Guiraudie understands that Staying Vertical becomes more persuasive when the cast can imply feelings before the script names them.

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Staying Vertical benefits from Alain Guiraudie being alive in individual scenes and uncertain between them about what each sequence needs to accomplish. Instead of making every beat equally loud, Alain Guiraudie lets Staying Vertical create contrast between pressure and release. The cast and craft keep the experience watchable throughout Staying Vertical, with the strongest decisions feeling connected to character rather than display. It is still fair to say that Staying Vertical suffers because too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested, but the problem remains contained.

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The most useful technical choice in Staying Vertical is comic timing built around character, because it helps the audience understand both space and mood. Les Films du Worso frames Staying Vertical through comic timing built around character without letting surface finish replace character. Drawing on its France background, Staying Vertical uses well judged reactions to give familiar material a more specific texture. Cinematography, sound and editing meet effectively in Staying Vertical whenever a sequence must feel large without losing its human scale.

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The central idea running through Staying Vertical concerns embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Damien Bonnard gives that idea a human scale, allowing Staying Vertical to remain accessible even when its world becomes larger. By returning to a difficult choice, Staying Vertical turns theme into a source of pressure rather than a message waiting to be delivered. The handling by Alain Guiraudie lets Staying Vertical leave a little interpretive room, which gives its better scenes an afterlife.

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Staying Vertical is most involving when the screenplay allows the central character to complicate what initially appears to be a story about an important relationship. That shift gives Damien Bonnard a more specific problem to carry through Staying Vertical. Working from material credited to Alain Guiraudie, Staying Vertical reveals a difficult choice at a measured pace instead of rushing toward its largest turn. The later pressure around the wider conflict shows why Staying Vertical benefits whenever cause and consequence remain visibly connected.

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Taken as a whole, Staying Vertical is an uneven film with enough personality to remain interesting for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. Staying Vertical leaves its strongest impression through comic timing built around character, the work of Damien Bonnard and a clear understanding of tone. The limitations around how too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested should be acknowledged, but they do not erase what Staying Vertical does well. I would return to Staying Vertical for its personality and its willingness to connect genre pleasure with recognisable feeling.