Tell No One

Guillaume Canet, 2006

IMDB

3/5

Francois Cluzet (The Intouchables, Little White Lies, French Kiss) leads this French murder-mystery thriller as Alexandre Beck, a pediatrician that is desperately searching for answers 8 years after his wife was murdered. On screen, you see two different Alexandre's. The first one is the guy who is in deeply in love with his wife. Spending time in the French countryside, they consume wine and laugh and swim in a local swimming hole. The second Alexandre is the guy who has endured years and years of grief. Constantly seen on screen with a cigarette in his mouth, he is a man that is not willing to give up on his wife. Not really interested in moving on, sort of stuck in this phase of non-existence. Zombie-like, floating through the day to day routine.

Then, suddenly, on the 8th anniversary of her death he is surprised by a mystery email in his box. This email opens a Pandora's box of sorts; between himself, the police, and a group of criminals connected to her murder. What transpires is an intense story, where you spend most of the film alongside Alexandre as he searches for answers.

Tell No One is a complex, suspenseful thriller that has you feeling unsettled for a good portion of the film and provides some solid climactic twists. Along the ride it causes you to become uncertain of everyone involved in some way, especially with the themes of corruption and influence that are involved. Just like every great foreign film, as of Fall 2015 it is getting an American remake that will likely not be as good as the original. Disappointing, but not surprising. Hopefully it won't cause this one to slip away. At the very least, hopefully someone like David Fincher picks it up because it feels like something in his wheelhouse.

Incendies

Denis Villeneuve, 2010

IMDB

4/5

Every family has their secrets. The secrets can vary in severity. Some are innocent, like a mother that had gone on a momentary shoplifting excursion decades earlier. She lets it slip out over a dinner where she drank one too many glasses of wine with her college-aged kids. They all laugh about it, “oh mom!”. But some are more painful. Infidelity, buried under years of silence. Some are incomprehensible. Abuse, confinement, torture. Rarely are family secrets as brutal as the Marwan family secrets. Instead of discovering the secrets from their mother directly, they must learn about them from her last will and testament as her former employer / notary reads it all to them. Their mother was a woman that they appear to have never known fully, a woman that they struggled to understand. Daughter Jeanne is more restrained as she attempts to process it all, while twin brother Simon sits frustrated. Like most people, they assume the whole last will and testament process would be a rather efficient one. One where they could simply go through the typical procedure and get some closure and move on with their lives.

Their search for the newly discovered, unknown blood relatives leads them on an emotional journey, mostly traveled by Jeanne while Simon sits with it all for a while. The film is largely this search for answers. Villeneuve is a filmmaker not afraid to make his audiences endure some of the details. He is unrestrained, unfiltered, unapologetic. Because of this, Incendies itself is a difficult film to watch at times. The story itself is heavy. As the layers of the onion are unpeeled, the emotional toll grows bigger and bigger. Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulindoes a fantastic job with her Jeanne character. Empathetic and desperate for answers, you can see the weight growing on her. She must retrace steps of her mothers past, completely oblivious to the fact that they are places that her mother was so desperate to get away from. Her mother was so determined to create a new life for herself and her family. She was so determined to provide a life for her children that would differ from her own. A life without the same struggles, the same pain, the same subjection, the same drudgery. But while she was able to geographically escape the torture of her past, she was clearly never able to fully escape it psychologically. She must have realized in her final days that her children must know the truth, must know their true lineage. An exploration into the idea of future generations carrying their ancestor’s past, whether they like it or not. The story is a persevering attempt to seek closure, and you seek it as much as the Marwan twins do. You get the closure you’re looking for, leaving you wondering if it’s even enough after such a gripping story reveals such brutal truth.

The Intouchables

Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano, 2011


4/5

Philippe (Francois Cluzet) is a quadriplegic seeking in-house nursing care. When Driss (Omar Sy) comes in, straight from the rough streets, he surprises everyone by taking a chance on him. That choice would become life changing for him.

It's a heartwarming fish out of water French Drama. The story could be minimized to a "rich guy hires poor guy", almost in the same vein as Pretty Woman (minus the romance of course), but it's more than that. Philippe clearly wants someone sitting at his bedside who is DIFFERENT, not the generic nurse who robotically fulfills his daily duties. Of course he finds that element of unpredictability in young Driss, who isn't even serious about pursuing the job and who is more focused on stealing one of the Faberge eggs nestled on top of the hand-carved bureau. They are both looking for something that they inevitably find in each other, even though they aren't really sure what that is. Change? Culture, Humor, Surprise? It's all of that, and more. They bring out the best in each other. Philippe appreciates the fact that Driss doesn't pity him, look down on him. Philippe encourages Driss to show his talents, or at least explore them. It's quite evident that Philippe could serve as sort of a father figure to Driss, who had a turbulent upbringing. The progression is authentic, and is played out beautifully. Philippe, who almost looks like a French Dustin Hoffman, can't move a limb but he doesn't need to. The emotions are easy to read on his face. When he smiles, you see the years of loneliness wiped away. There are many touching moments in the film, sure to pull on the heartstrings. You can certainly predict how the story will play out, and that's fine. It's a wonderfully predictable journey.

The Horde

Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher, 2009


3/5

          In this French Zombie film, a small group of cops decide to raid a condemned apartment building where a group of gangsters are holding one of their own hostage. When they get into the building, they have to battle more than just gangsters.
          Okay, so there are a number of factors that go into making a zombie film nowadays and a lot of those details have a big impact on how effective the film will be. It's unarguably an over-saturated genre and there are certainly more losers than winners. One, how fast do they move? In this? Fast. Very reminiscent to the fast-moving zombies in 28 Days Later. Actually, they closely resemble those zombies than any other film in the genre. Two, are they actually scary? Yes. Very. Three, do the living know what they are dealing with, and do they attempt to fight them off in a manner that's original? Absolutely. Actually quite originally. What is appealing in this is their absolute inability to actually take them down. They have no idea why the dead are suddenly rising and why bullets seem to do nothing against them. Are there twists in the plot that will set this film apart from EVERY other zombie film? Eh, not really but that's okay. The world falling apart around them, how realistic is it? Because it focuses on the events unfolding in the building itself, the explosion-filled skies and the distant booms become more of a backdrop.
          The Horde succeeds in the sense that it doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. It know's exactly what it is and doesn't try to be anything else. It focuses on the style and not so much on the substance. The story itself doesn't carry a lot of weight, nor does it really need to. Sure, it adds an interesting dynamic in the sense that the humans don't even like each other let alone whats on the other side of the door. But the tension between them seems to dissipate to a point where it's not so evident. The "OH SHIT" scenes where they find themselves cornered, while predictable, are still suspenseful and are well-crafted. The scene with Ouessem (Jean-Pierre Martins) standing on top of the car was beautifully orchestrated and well-shot. The film is very similar to The Raid Redemption except it's taking a converse trajectory. These people are trying to make their way DOWN the steps to the first level to get out of the building, not even focusing on what they are actually going to have to confront when they get out of the condemned building. One of the most thought-provoking concepts with the zombie genre are the constant moral dilemmas. There's also the common questions that go through your head while watching. You're likely going to gravitate to a specific character during the film. Is he/she going to make it to the end? And even if they do, what kind of world are they going to be living in? Do they even want to be living in it? Life seems awfully cheap when you see people around you falling rapidly and your very existence hinges on you simply not tripping over your own feet.

Holy Motors

Leos Carax, 2012


4/5

Mr. Oscar (Denis Lavant) is a man with a busy schedule, spending the day traveling around Paris via limousine. Each stop he makes involves him changing his wardrobe, speech and overall persona to fit that particular appointment.

It's a Surreal Art-House piece that's so confidently artistic, so boldly eccentric that you spend most of the film in sheer confusion as to what you are watching but can't take your eyes off the screen. It's an abstract piece that is likely controversial in terms of its appeal. This is not a film with a three-act structure. It's not even necessarily a film with a beginning or end. Oddly, Certain elements of the film reminded me of Eyes Wide Shut. Without a doubt one of the strangest films I've ever seen. I had thought initially that there would be some kind of significant reveal at the end of the film, but I soon realized that it doesn't even matter. It's a film that changes form, much like Mr. Oscar's attire. At times you feel as if you are watching a performance art piece. At others, a musical. In the end, it's a wild ride but a provocative one.

Mesrine: Public Enemy #1

Jean-Francois Richet, 2008

4/5

          Part Two of the Mesrine films (sequel to Killer Instinct), Public Enemy #1 is a continuation of the story of Jacques Mesrine. Mesrine continues to elude police, successfully rob banks, and uses his quick-wit and charm to attract beautiful women. 

          A satisfying and consistent sequel to the original. While Part one possessed more story, Part two certainly provides more action. The film jumps head-first into the action within the first twenty minutes. Very effective, erratic cinematography through suspenseful street-chases. Vincent Cassel continues to be chameleonic in his role, with his mood changing as quickly as his disguises. Mesrine, who is consumed by the fame, becomes complacent with it. His hunger grows for something MORE than notoriety, something more than glory. His unpredictable, violent nature becomes radicalized and begins to shift into a more political mind-set. His ideals shift from anti-establishment to a more anarchistic motivation. He even turns on the press, the one loyal force that had always embraced him. But the women on the other hand, always embrace him. His charismatic abilities have a magnetic ability with the women who are looking for the bad-boy. It takes him little time to seduce Sylvia Jeanjacquot, even in disguise.

          The final moments are a book-end conclusion, with an expected call-back to the opening scene in Part One. The fact that it's seen in a different perspective gives it a fresh feeling. Mesrine is the "French Robin Hood", "The Man of  Hundred Faces". In the end it's quite clear that he was a danger to society, a clear sociopath. But the fascination with a notorious criminal is clearly a global phenomenon. 

I Stand Alone

Gaspar Noe, 1998


3/5 

          The butcher has fallen into some hard-times. His meat shop went under after he had to serve time in jail, and after his release he cannot seem to get back on track. His struggle to find employment is not the only conflict in his life - he is living with a woman he deeply resents and also hasn't seen his institutionalized daughter in some time.
          It's difficult to say that you LIKE a Gaspar Noe film. I don't believe his films are intended on being liked, or disliked. They are intended to be processed, and interpreted in different ways. A Director tied to the New French Extremity, Noe is not afraid to approach taboo subjects such as incest, rape or abortion. At this point I've seen all three feature length films he's directed and they have all left me with the same feeling. That feeling is indescribable in a sense. For lack of a better word, I will just say that I've been affected by them. That being said, these three films all seem to have a certain theme to them. I Stand Alone examines morality. Irreversible examines impulse. Enter the Void examines consciousness. They all perform these examinations with little to no filter. And Noe certainly has a lot to say.
          I Stand Alone, while completely raw and graphic, is a well crafted film. Impressive camera work, such as the gunshot sound effect followed by the snap zoom. The music fueled truck ride when The Butcher hitchhikes. The claustrophobic scenes in the cheap apartments. The pan & tilt Paris street-shot at the end of the film. The narrative dialogue in the film could quite be the most graphic feature. Almost entirely in The Butcher's nihilistic thoughts, you are present for his all-consuming, unfocused anger that is projected toward anyone and anything that has challenged him.
          The Butcher is a proud man. He is an old school, blue-collared orphan who has a passion for his meat-cutting and that only. Nothing can compare, and he refuses to take on any occupation that he considers would be under-employing himself. Not everybody loves Paris, and he is one of them. Not one to hold back his disgust for the city, he traverses the gloomy slums and frequents the smoky dives for his small glass of vino. The Butcher's insurgent philosophical ranting displays Noe's raw but superior writing ability to the not-so-good screw-it-all soliloquies such as Ed Norton's character Monty in Spike Lee's The 25th Hour (over-rated). The Butcher is riddled with so much anger I wonder what kind of person he would be if things fell into place for him. What if he got hired by a prestigious meat-shop? What if he met the love of his life in some strange coincidence? But this doesn't happen. The Butcher seems to be destined for bad luck, and things seem to only get worse and worse for him. In that sense, while he is a man of many mistakes, there is a sympathetic side to his character.

Mesrine: Part 1 - Killer Instinct

Jean-Francois Richet, 2008


5/5

If Scarface and A Prophet had a baby, it would be Mesrine. The comparison may be a bit misleading, because this film is on a different level than Scarface. It's one of the best gangster films I've ever seen. Its the biopic of Jacques Mesrine, a real-life notorious French gangster. The setting is in the late fifties through the late sixties. Vincent Cassel plays Jacques Mesrine, and its the best performance I've seen from him. All of the acting in this film is spot on. There a noticeable Scorcesian sense of grittiness. Cinematography is perfect. Not one bad shot in the film, and the scenery in France, Spain and Canada only added to the overall beauty. I really enjoyed the opening of the film with the split-screen multi-angle shots. Because the film's timeline spans across a decade, there are some sudden jumps but it always remains fluid. It doesn't dumb itself down for the audience, one of my favorite qualities of foreign films. Jacques Mesrine is a fascinating character. There is a warm-hearted innocence to him early on in the film but that quickly washes away and gives way to a dark, depraved core. He doesn't mind blood on his hands, and develops a distorted set of principles. He is abusive, doesn't respect women, and is over-compensating for his fathers pacifistic dynamic he had with his mother. I won't detail any of the film because I do not want to give away any plot points at all. I can't wait to jump into part two. Had no idea it was a two part series until the final credits started rolling.