Reviews & Ratings for
The Last Days of Chez Nous More at IMDbPro »

9 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Love eternal does not mean everlasting., 12 August 2002

Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK

This is a moody and frank story of an Australian couple and how relationships change when the husband falls in love with his wife's sister. Lisa Harrow is the pent-up wife of J.P.(Bruno Ganz)and Kerry Fox is Vicki the younger sister and temptress. I saw this on IFC and was really reeled in with the straight forward atmosphere and personal subject matter. Cinematography is super and the Australian accents cool and pleasing. This is a powerful drama; and well deserved kudos for director Gillian Armstrong.

11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
What happens when you realize you don't like the people you love?, 30 March 2001

Author: George Parker from Orange County, CA USA

"...Chez Nous" looks at this compelling question through the life of one Aussie woman who's self esteem is constantly undermined by the men in her life. This film is a psychodramatic, realistic, and intelligent look at the clockworks of a nuclear family held together more by mutual need than love and respect. The camera studies the slow disintegration of the family unit and the rebirth of Beth (Harrow), the principle character. Well made, earnest, honest, and insightful. An interesting watch for more mature audiences.

8 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Subtle powerful drama with a comic touch., 2 June 2000

Author: Howard Ross (howardross@hotmail.com) from Atlantic City, USA

This film is a favorite gem. It is Bergman like in its convincing depiction of family relationships and emotions. It's a very round presentation of life - it shows the comedy and pettyness. You really feel the air of grief in the family. The cinematography is crystal clear - as if the family is being studied under glass. It mostly takes place at home but there's a liberating road trip.

If you like character study dramas what this one.

5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Forget "smart","edgey",or "strong women"(?), try plain old GOOD!, 16 June 2000
Author: rsmith-8 from Los Angeles

I liked My Brilliant Career back in 1980, but after seeing this effort from the brilliant turned masterful Ms Armstrong I suspect that its traditional feminist message ("I won't give up my dreams for a man") made it more palatable for the times. Chez Nous doesn't let you off the hook so easily. What I found so compelling is its gentle but firm refusal to adopt a condescending attitude towards the characters or the audience. I rented this film with Jane Campion's Sweetie, which I found audaciously weird but riveting, in fact I now own Sweetie. Like Chez Nous, it deals with heroines and their family relationships, particularly involving sisters and to some degree, fathers. Both films are from the same part of the world. I was happy to find a used copy of Sweetie a few months after seeing it, but I watched Chez Nous twice before returning it, and that's the highest recommendation I can give.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
An Australian writer's husband cheats on her with her sister. It is a story of what drives people and how they cope with fitting in to society as well as their own family., 3 July 2007

Author: dylaneb from United States

This film is more mature than others but still evokes a great story. The cinematography is incredible. Each camera movement and frame was thought out carefully to the very last detail making every shot artistic. I recommend this movie for any film students! The actors in this film are not A list celebrities which I think is great because while their acting is superb, their popularity status does not detract from the film's story and delivery. As far as independent films go, this one is very well done and an excellent example of what film making is all about. This is clearly some of Geoffrey Simpson's best work as a cinematographer.

Terrifically acted study of a family, 14 April 2011

Author: runamokprods from US

Full of wonderfully acted, beautifully observed moments in the life of an unconventional family, this was called, by one critic, 'an Australian 'Hannah and her Sisters'. And to an extent that's not a bad description.

But this film is messier, less complete in it's vision and less bold in it's style. None-the less it's still entertaining, moving, and very worth seeing.

Bruno Ganz's half French, half German accent is a bit distracting (he's terrific otherwise), and, for me, the ending felt rushed, as if things had to get to a conclusion.

It's a film I'd actually wished had gone on longer, or had been willing to leave things less resolved. Once you start with the messiness of life, you lose something with a last minute switch to the neatness of movies.

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