The documentary of a painful odyssey and the attempt to deal with a twisted fate is made the more moving by its very personal, first-hand origins. It is the story of five years in the lives of the filmmaker, Agneta Elers-Jarleman, and her lover, Jean Montgrenier, a French painter and photographer, following an automobile accident in which Jean suffered severe brain damage. His face shattered, blinded, unable to speak or, it seems, comprehend, Jean is considered hopeless, and though still young, is left to languish in a geriatric ward. Only through Elers-Jarleman's persistent attentions over several years does he slowly begin to walk, and, with songlike noises, to communicate. The filmmaker captures Jean's frustration at his own inabilities-a sign, if we needed one, that he is not in fact hopeless. But human patience has its limits, as interviews with Jean's friends, most of whom have long since ceased visiting him, sadly, though not accusingly, attest. British critic Derek Malcolm has written, "This is not a film about handicap but about love, and our attitude toward others." As such, although it offers no happy endings, it is ultimately an affirmative experience.