Gonz42

I've just seen this movie today in Lyon during the (tremendous) "Hallucinations Collectives" festival, presented by the author David Morlet himself. The session promised to be pleasant and I watched it in good mood. But I eventually felt sorry for him because I've found nothing good in this movie ! The whole scenario is only a tiny short movie pitch. The very few characters have no personality, I had no single reason to get attached to these caricatures of normality. The bad guy has no motivation, except the usual thrill of impunity, easy way to provide free horror. But there is actually no horror here, nothing traumatic. Despite the "home invasion" subject, which carries very strong intimate fears, the directing provides no tension, no suspense, no surprise. There actually is a final twist, but evidences are sown several minutes ahead and spoil the thing. The overall treatment is sooo slow that you really have plenty of time to think about this ending ! Needless to say I found no second degree, no subtext, no fantasy or message of any kind. In a few words, to me this movie is bad and cheap.

This film is a pleasant homage to Italian giallo and to the under-recognized art of sound editing. A bit like Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani's "Amer" did, but in a more conventional, more "easy watching" way.

It begins as an amusing comedy with a cast of characters gently mocking the 70's Italian machismo. The very exciting central concept of the film is to deal with graphical horror without showing any real violence on the screen. This counter-fashion idea clearly marks its distance from the recent escalation in the graphic horror genre cinema, which I find honorable.

The imagination of the spectator is highly put to use compared to these days' standards. A truly outstanding atmosphere is obtained thanks to a really terrific sound editing. The atmosphere moves from light fun to disturbing fantasy with elegance.

But near the end, the story lost me. I eventually didn't understand where the film wanted take me. For that disappointing feeling, I don't rate it very high, but this movie is definitely a good piece of artwork and is more interesting than most of what is to be seen nowadays.

This movie is a 'deschiens movie'. A movie by and with the french theatre company leaded by Jérôme Deschamps. They're well known in France for their short tv show ('Les Deschiens') and their great plays. They are always very realistic, poetic, and extremely funny. In the movie, the , the precise description of typical characters from deep France is still here. There's a lot funny ideas, but many of them , I think, don't work on the screen. Some actors are quite good, the picture and tone really fits the plot, but something still sounds artificial. I think it's a realization point, as if some theatrical actions or citations didn't fit the realistic tone of the whole thing. And the result is that I felt desapointed every ten minutes.

I finally like this movie, but I'm sure that the Deschamps band can do much better with experience in cinema realization.