Patrice LeConte colors this intelligent film in subdued hues in taking on the somber issue of capital punishment. Juliette Binoche portrays Pauline, the sympathetic wife of the local garrison commander on a bleak French Island off Newfoundland. A man who has brutally killed another is sentenced to death, but the village must await the arrival of a guillotine and executioner. Those are the rules. As Pauline takes the cause of the murderer, Neel(Emir Kusturica), as her own, he wins the affection of the small, insular community with his good works. But the hide-bound, dour council members of the village insist they must carry out their duty. Pauline's husband, Jean (Daniel Auteuil) supports her every device to seek Neel's freedom. The sexual tension among the three is palpable; the danger that the fundamentalist Pauline poses to her husband sits on the film like an enveloping cloud seeking to blur this lucid discussion of the difficulties posed by capital punishment cases even where the prisoner is clearly guilty of a brutal crime. All of the acting performances are sterling, well contained and bearing the weight of the fatalistic outcome. For those who like a bit of intelligence in a beautifully acted and directed film, notwithstanding the sad story, this is a film to be seen.
Review of Widow of St. Pierre
