Comedy of Innocence (2000)
"Comédie de l'innocence" (original title)

Today, Camille turns nine. He had sworn that on his 9th birthday he would show his parents the videos he was shooting on the side-the tail of a cat scampering away, a window, and a veiled ... See full summary »

Director:

Raoul Ruiz

Writers:

Massimo Bontempelli (novel), François Dumas,

Stars:

Isabelle Huppert, Jeanne Balibar, Charles Berling

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Isabelle Huppert	...	Ariane
Jeanne Balibar	...	Isabella
Charles Berling	...	Serge
Edith Scob	...	Laurence
Nils Hugon	...	Camille
Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre	...	Hélène
Denis Podalydès	...	Pierre
Chantal Bronner	...	Martine
Bruno Marengo	...	Alexandre
Nicolas de La Baume	...	Lawyer
Jean-Louis Crinon	...	Taxi driver
Valéry Schatz	...	Taxi driver
Emmanuel Clarke	...	Yannick
Alice Souverain	...	Helene's friend

Storyline

Today, Camille turns nine. He had sworn that on his 9th birthday he would show his parents the videos he was shooting on the side-the tail of a cat scampering away, a window, and a veiled woman's face - an intriguing picture... Later that day, Camille's mother, Ariane, meets up with her son in the park. The boys appears perturbed. He is leaning against a tree, eyes cast down. He says that now he wants to return to his "real home" and his "real mother."

---

Plot Keywords:

boy | birthday | park | video tape | champ de mars paris | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

28 February 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Comedy of Innocence

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Les Films du Camélia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Understated performances making for an original thriller

Story about two women both trying to persuade a confused young boy that she is his real ‘mommy'. The viewer is only shown as much as the boy's actual mother throughout the film, leaving us as confused to the reality of the situation as she.

Huppert gives a great understated performance as the real mother, desperately trying to hold on to her son, who's slipping out of her grasp, and the two child performances are fantastic.

The underlying anxieties of the characters boil over every now and then into some slightly chilling scenes, with the complex storyline making even the minor characters interesting to watch (in an almost ‘film noir' style).

The score seems slightly ‘over the top' at times but this just adds to the films strange sinister feel.

7.5 out of 10