A psychological thriller that deals with an elite Parisian couple trying
to cop with their modern life. It is in French with English subtitles.
Georges Laurent (Daniel Auteuil) is a wealthy, successful television host
of a popular Parisian show. His wife Anne (Juliette Binoche) is an editor
at a book publisher. They have a 12 year old son Pierrot (Lester Makedonsky)
and a nice inner city house. All together Laurents have a nice family
life. But the calmness in their life is threatened by the arrival of some
video tapes that show them under surveillance and some nasty phone calls.
At first Georges thought that it is a prank played by their son's classmates.
But when the videos tapes started to get nastier, the Laurents started
to worry about the safety of their family. They promptly informed the
police but they couldn't get any help because it is not a crime to put
somebody on surveillance, without any actual threats. Now the Georges'
are under a lot of pressure to solve the mystery.
Georges began to look into the many possibilities for the anonymous video
tapes. When he started to think about his childhood days, he remembered
Majid (Maurice Benichou), the son of Algerian farmers who used to work
for Georges wealthy parents. When Majid's parents were killed during the
Arab immigrant unrest, Georges' parents were ready to adopt Majid. But
Georges told his parents some bad things about Majid and hence Majid was
sent away. Now Georges thinks that Majid is getting his revenge and he
is behind the surveillance. When Georges visited Majid, he is convinced
that Majid is the man behind the tapes.
Georges refused to share
the new found information about the surveillance with his wife and son,
may be due to a feeling of guilt about his irresponsible act. On the other
hand, he argued with his wife who breaks down in tears. Later Georges
confronts Majid's son who accused him about his irresponsible act and
the damage that was caused to the Algerian family. Find out more about
this suspense thriller.
The talented Austrian filmmaker, who is well known all over Europe, masterfully
narrates a suspenseful tale of conflicts and anonymity. He delivers a
stunning film that carries the secrets in the lives of the privileged
people. He brings to the lime light the inability of well to do people
who refuse to take moral responsibility for their deeds. He is trying
to deliver a strong message to the world that there are many people of
the privileged class all around the world with some kind of black secret
in their life but who blame others for the crimes they committed at one
time or the other. Many of the social issues are well explored.
The film carries a group of fine cast. Daniel Auteuil as Georges presents
a wonderful performance. Juliette Binoche as his wife does a good job.
The film has brilliant script and good cinematography. It is a touching,
emotionally vibrant film but, it is not for everyone.
We rate this movie GOOD.
