The most effective movies don't always call attention to themselves, and this excellent, if sometimes difficult, French import is a perfect case in point. The choppy continuity and haphazard chronology demand more than a little patience, challenging viewers to follow a story which jumps back and forth over several decades without allowing any time to assimilate the characters: three sisters living in French Algeria (one of them played by the director herself), whose gradually disintegrating lives parallel the decline of French influence in the region. But stick with it long enough and the disjointed design gradually coheres into a deliberate structure, repeating (Rashomon-like) key moments of the story from the point of view of each sister, and revealing a little more detail and meaning with each repetition. Writer-director Brigitte Rouan adds some astute criticisms of French colonialism, which can easily be applied to any empire-building nation (including our own). Moviegoers accustomed to having their hand held might want to steer clear: the film is complex, subtle, and understated to an extreme.
