Depression has many manifestations — sadness, withdrawal, heaviness, lack of interest in anything, lethargy. People in these states need some time alone. Bestselling author Julia Cameron calls depression "emotional quicksand," an apt description given how hard it is to pull oneself out of it. Those who are close often grow impatient with this malaise in the ones they love, finding it hard to deal with their dark moods and threats of suicide. French writer and director Christophe Honore deals with one young man's depression and his family's responses to it.

Paul (Romain Duris) has broken up with his girlfriend Anna (Joana Preiss), and he is shaken to the core by the end of this love relationship. They had been living together but were just not able to handle the high expectations of romance. Paul has retreated to the small apartment of his retired father Mirko (Guy Marchand) and taken over the bedroom of his younger brother Jonathan (Louis Garrel), who is quite the ladies man.

Paul refuses to get out of bed and has no interest in eating or talking. His brother tries a creative ploy to coax him out by saying he'll meet him at a store they loved when they were younger. But on his way, Jonathan pleasures himself with several sexual encounters with woman, including Alice (Alice Butaud), whom he ditched a while back and who is eager to reconnect with him. No matter that he doesn't call Paul on his cell; his brother has tossed the phone off the balcony.

Paul's estranged mother (Marie-France Pisier) drops by to lend her support, and they talk a little. But she gets into an argument with Mirko and leaves. Both sons have grown used to hearing the door slam on her exit. What troubles Paul the most is his memory of his younger sister's suicide and "the ancient sorrow" she carried within her. This dark cloud over the family, which has still not lifted, is not going to be healed by Miko's special brand of chicken soup.

Paul does try a few strategies to shift his moods. He recalls that Anna told him she convinced herself of his love by praying an affirmation over and over; he tries repeating that he's in love with Anna. He wonders if sadness is put in someone at birth, like eye color. Gradually, his perspective begins to shift, but these things take time.

Dans Paris is a realistic depiction of the emotional quicksand of depression and its effects on everyone around it.


Special DVD features include deleted scenes and a "Rendez-Vous with Louis" - a short film by director Christophe Honore.