Généalogies d'un crime (1997)

At her son's funeral, Solange, a lawyer famous for losing hopeless cases, agrees to defend René, her son's age, accused of murdering his wealthy aunt, Jeanne, who's part of the ... See full summary »

Director:

Raoul Ruiz

Writers:

Raoul Ruiz, Pascal Bonitzer

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli, Melvil Poupaud

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Jeanne / Solange
Michel Piccoli	...	Georges Didier
Melvil Poupaud	...	René
Andrzej Seweryn	...	Christian
Bernadette Lafont	...	Esther
Monique Mélinand	...	Louise
Hubert Saint-Macary	...	Verret
Jean-Yves Gautier	...	Mathieu
Mathieu Amalric	...	Yves
Camila Mora-Scheihing	...	Soledad (as Camila Mora)
Patrick Modiano	...	Bob
Jean Badin	...	L'avocat
Brigitte Sy	...	Jeanne
Laurence Clément	...	Aline, la secrétaire
André Engel	...	Psychiatre 1

Storyline

At her son's funeral, Solange, a lawyer famous for losing hopeless cases, agrees to defend René, her son's age, accused of murdering his wealthy aunt, Jeanne, who's part of the Franco-Belgian Psychoanalytic Society, known for odd views and methods. She reads Jeanne's journal, documenting René's criminal tendencies. Solange believes him innocent, manipulated into the murder or framed. Odd psychiatrists turn up, including Georges Didier, who runs FBPS, and his rival, Christian, who believes crime originates in a story's taking hold of a person. After the verdict, René and Solange's relationship changes, Georges and his society commit a bizarre act, and the police record Solange's story.

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Plot Keywords:

son | murder | psychiatrist | journal | funeral | 

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Taglines:

is she the murderer, the victim, or both?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

France Portugal

Language:

French

Release Date:

27 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Genealogies of a Crime

Box Office

Gross:

$76,763 (USA) (23 October 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madragoa Filmes, Gemini Films, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in La donna lupo (1999)

User Reviews

"You'll be me and I'll be you...... Beep!"

If some directors make the cut into stardom and acknowledge maybe this isn't the gold for Raoul Ruiz. This great chilean director is one of the best on making a film completely out of new processed lines of ideas, brave imaginary and a perfectly narrated line of events that are shocking sometimes and very recreational through the whole story. In this film Catherine Deneuve shows her grace with a comfortably effortless acting being a legal attorney who solves a mystery on an assassination of a remarkable psychologist. Sometimes you see her good side, the intrigued professional that tries to form a bind with her young client Rene, the first suspect on the murder of his aunt the psychologist, but sometimes you get to see nothing but the real game. That is the true central object of the plot, about how the truth come to reveal to ourselves by being other people, or better said, by placing ourselves in other's perspective. Big twist at the end, and it was before our eyes every time.

*notice the great adjustements on the camera lens through the film. Some filters and a half of screen out of focus with traveling at the same time!!