Jean Rochefort, Francois Berleand
"8 years ago, Alex's wife was murdered. Today ... She e-mailed him!"
Star Movies
Every Friday nights of May, Star Movies shows a French movie as a tribute to the ongoing Cannes film festival.
This week, the featured film is a gripping thriller guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. That is, if you can keep up with the numerous twists and turns which kept cropping up during the film. That said, it was still well presented and nicely edited in a coherent, dramatic fashion albeit with the occasional slow paced scenes. Despite being a thriller with various nuances of a whodunit crime story, it is also a narrative of a poignant love story that endures through time. An interesting observation is how some scenes would focus on powerful images of scenery without any characters in it yet convey so much to the audience in terms of providing clues. Shots which make you go "ohhh, right! Now I get it"!
The characters are well developed and multi-dimensional and portrayed by believable and serious French actors. Actors who use subtle yet expressive facial expressions to convey their emotions. A bit too many characters though to hold your concentration, if you ask me.
Setting varies from the chaotic urban jungle to serene rustic surroundings. Dialogue is entirely in French with English subtitles for the non Francophone viewers.
It has been a while since I got enthralled by a French film. So I was glad I caught this thriller from start to finish. A movie which doesn't disappoint. A narrative with all the right ingredients. A solid believable plot. Interesting characters. Crisp cinematography. Under the able direction of Guillaume Canet, a French actor/director who starred in "Joyeux Noel" a war themed masterpiece and "Mon Idole" a quirky dark humor comedy. Two French film I had the good fortune of watching at past French film festivals in town.
This week, the featured film is a gripping thriller guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. That is, if you can keep up with the numerous twists and turns which kept cropping up during the film. That said, it was still well presented and nicely edited in a coherent, dramatic fashion albeit with the occasional slow paced scenes. Despite being a thriller with various nuances of a whodunit crime story, it is also a narrative of a poignant love story that endures through time. An interesting observation is how some scenes would focus on powerful images of scenery without any characters in it yet convey so much to the audience in terms of providing clues. Shots which make you go "ohhh, right! Now I get it"!
The characters are well developed and multi-dimensional and portrayed by believable and serious French actors. Actors who use subtle yet expressive facial expressions to convey their emotions. A bit too many characters though to hold your concentration, if you ask me.
Setting varies from the chaotic urban jungle to serene rustic surroundings. Dialogue is entirely in French with English subtitles for the non Francophone viewers.
It has been a while since I got enthralled by a French film. So I was glad I caught this thriller from start to finish. A movie which doesn't disappoint. A narrative with all the right ingredients. A solid believable plot. Interesting characters. Crisp cinematography. Under the able direction of Guillaume Canet, a French actor/director who starred in "Joyeux Noel" a war themed masterpiece and "Mon Idole" a quirky dark humor comedy. Two French film I had the good fortune of watching at past French film festivals in town.
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