The film begins on Xmas day and ends ,some twenty years later ,on Xmas day.
In between ,one of the most original thrillers produced in France in the last decade. It often reminds the viewer of Claude Chabrol at his best ("le boucher" "que la bête meure" "juste avant la nuit" "les noces rouges" or "la cérémonie"),which Sandrine Bonnaire 's efficient presence reinforces .Yes ,it 's that much good.
Flash forward: the police announces a search to find little Rémi who disappeared three days ago .....
Flashback : the three days preceding Xmas is an Ardennes village ; we meet little Antoine, who lives with his(unmarried ,widow?) mom, the village doctor who urges the brat to become a doctor himself , a Pole the inhabitants do not like very much ,Rémi ,who is good friends with Antoine ,and his parents ,Michel and Emilie. There won't be any (very) unexpected end ,because the whole truth is revealed very early ;thus,the viewers know, the characters but one ,don't. A sinister omen : Michel's dog gets run over by a car and his master has to shoot the pet.
People begin to talk in town and the Pole ,a stranger , is suspected by the gossip people ....During the midnight mass, whilst the congregation is singing " Silent Night" , Rémi's father (Charles Berling) hurls at the alleluia crowd .
Return to present : the search begins and is to continue the day after ;but a storm destroys everything and the search becomes pointless. The disappearance of Rémi is not cleared up.
Fifteen years later , the past resurfaces with the strength of the tempest which had laid waste the village ; this part is sometimes marred by too much melodrama ( Antoine's baby ,the Pole's secret ,the doctor's attitude (emotional blackmail?) ),but the essential is sustained :some people might know, but what do they really know? The suspense remains psychological.
The final Reveillon (Christmas eve dinner)who brings together the culprit and the victim's parents may infuriate some ,but can you lead a happy life when you have something awful on your conscience?
So the Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him."
When the movie begins, the camera films a misty valley then discovers the village ;at the end ,tracking out from the small window of the house where the families are celebrating Xmas.
Strong performances by everyone involved:Sandrine Bonnaire, Charles Berling,Philippe Torreton ,Pablo Pauly and ,for the first time on the screen , Jeremie Senez as young sensitive Antoine.
Had Chabrol still been with us, this is the kind of movie he would have made.
In between ,one of the most original thrillers produced in France in the last decade. It often reminds the viewer of Claude Chabrol at his best ("le boucher" "que la bête meure" "juste avant la nuit" "les noces rouges" or "la cérémonie"),which Sandrine Bonnaire 's efficient presence reinforces .Yes ,it 's that much good.
Flash forward: the police announces a search to find little Rémi who disappeared three days ago .....
Flashback : the three days preceding Xmas is an Ardennes village ; we meet little Antoine, who lives with his(unmarried ,widow?) mom, the village doctor who urges the brat to become a doctor himself , a Pole the inhabitants do not like very much ,Rémi ,who is good friends with Antoine ,and his parents ,Michel and Emilie. There won't be any (very) unexpected end ,because the whole truth is revealed very early ;thus,the viewers know, the characters but one ,don't. A sinister omen : Michel's dog gets run over by a car and his master has to shoot the pet.
People begin to talk in town and the Pole ,a stranger , is suspected by the gossip people ....During the midnight mass, whilst the congregation is singing " Silent Night" , Rémi's father (Charles Berling) hurls at the alleluia crowd .
Return to present : the search begins and is to continue the day after ;but a storm destroys everything and the search becomes pointless. The disappearance of Rémi is not cleared up.
Fifteen years later , the past resurfaces with the strength of the tempest which had laid waste the village ; this part is sometimes marred by too much melodrama ( Antoine's baby ,the Pole's secret ,the doctor's attitude (emotional blackmail?) ),but the essential is sustained :some people might know, but what do they really know? The suspense remains psychological.
The final Reveillon (Christmas eve dinner)who brings together the culprit and the victim's parents may infuriate some ,but can you lead a happy life when you have something awful on your conscience?
So the Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him."
When the movie begins, the camera films a misty valley then discovers the village ;at the end ,tracking out from the small window of the house where the families are celebrating Xmas.
Strong performances by everyone involved:Sandrine Bonnaire, Charles Berling,Philippe Torreton ,Pablo Pauly and ,for the first time on the screen , Jeremie Senez as young sensitive Antoine.
Had Chabrol still been with us, this is the kind of movie he would have made.