Vincent, Francois, Paul...Anyone Else Feel Depressed After?

Alright, I just finished "Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others" (1974), and wow, what a film. Not exactly uplifting, is it? I mean, these guys are ALL going through it. I think it's directed by Claude Sautet, but whoever made it knew how to make me feel anxious and old. Jokes aside, it really got under my skin. The way they all circle each other, supporting and kind of passively aggressively competing with each other at the same time... it felt incredibly real. I'm particularly intrigued by Michel Piccoli's character, Francois. The whole writer's block storyline is a recurring theme, but the way Sautet frames it, it's less about the *writing* and more about Francois fundamentally questioning his worth. That scene at the dinner table where he's clearly feeling overshadowed by Gerard Depardieu's character, Jean, and Stephane Audran's character, Catherine, picking apart the writing, was brutal. Did anyone else feel that tension radiating off the screen? And then there's Yves Montand as Vincent. His financial problems and failing marriage felt equally bleak. What I found interesting was that he had the least "intellectual" crisis; it was all very concrete, very immediate. It made me wonder if Sautet was making a point about different kinds of mid-life anxieties and the value placed on intellectual pursuits compared to, say, just having a stable life. So, anyone have any thoughts? Am I reading too much into this? Or did anyone else just want to give all of them a hug and then run screaming in the opposite direction? Also, what did you make of the ending? Was it hopeful, or just a temporary respite from the despair? I was left feeling uncertain.