Entre ses mains (2005)

In Lille, Claire Gauthier is an ordinary married woman with a young daughter that works in an insurance company analyzing losses of insured properties. When the single veterinary Laurent ... See full summary »

Director:

Anne Fontaine

Writers:

Dominique Barbéris (novel), Julien Boivent,

Stars:

Benoît Poelvoorde, Isabelle Carré, Jonathan Zaccaï

6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Benoît Poelvoorde	...	Laurent Kessler
Isabelle Carré	...	Claire Gauthier
Jonathan Zaccaï	...	Fabrice Gauthier
Valérie Donzelli	...	Valérie
Bernard Bloch	...	Le directeur de la compagnie d'assurances
Véronique Nordey	...	Mme Kessler, la mère de Laurent
Michel Dubois	...	Père Claire
Martine Chevallier	...	Mère Claire
Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc	...	Le collègue de bureau
Dominique Dubois	...	Mme Gauthier la mère de Fabrice
Patrick Brasseur	...	M. Gauthier, le père de Fabrice
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pierre Diot
Sonia Hell
Agathe Louvieaux

Storyline

In Lille, Claire Gauthier is an ordinary married woman with a young daughter that works in an insurance company analyzing losses of insured properties. When the single veterinary Laurent Kessler claims damage in his basement caused by a flooding due to water leakage, Claire resolves the situation favorably for him. The weird Laurent visits Claire in her office successively, inviting her for drinks and lunch, and they get close to each other. Meanwhile, a serial killer is terrorizing Lille, killing women with a scalpel. Claire feels a great attraction for Laurent, who has an unusual behavior in her apartment. When Claire sees a scalpel in the pocket of Laurent's jacket, she fears him, but still loves him.

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Plot Keywords:

scalpel | serial killer | title directed by female | lille flanders | flanders | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 September 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

Anamesa sta heria

Filming Locations:

Lille, Nord, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,032,451 (France) (23 September 2005)

Gross:

$1,032,451 (France) (23 September 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Soudaine Compagnie, Ciné B, K-Star

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Visa d'exploitation en France #111393

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Goofs

In the last confrontation between Claire and Laurent, his right hand grips Claire's throat when seen from his POV, but when the shot is from behind Claire, his right hand is free.

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Quotes

Valérie: Gee, at times I feel like I'm in a cult!

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Connections

References Ghislain Lambert's Bicycle (2001)

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Soundtracks

"J'aime les filles"
Music by Jacques Dutronc
Lyrics by Jacques Lanzmann (1967)
Performed by Isabelle Carré

User Reviews

Been there, killed that

Anne Fontaine's disappointing Entre Ses Mains aka In His Hands is one of those films you've seen long before you actually watch it because it's been made by people who've seen too many films and think the best way to create a classic is to homage one somebody else made earlier to death. In this case the victim is Claude Chabrol's Le Boucher, relocated from a small village to a very metropolitan Lille, with Jean Yanne's butcher and possible serial killer and Stephane Audran's schoolteacher who falls in love with him reworked into Benoit Poelvoorde's insomniac vet prone to depression and Isabelle Carré's insurance claims adjuster. There are a few new wrinkles added to the mix – Carré's character is happily married but still drifts into a near-affair in spite of her doubts – and it's easy to see why the actors were attracted to the film since it places the emphasis firmly on the characters and performances rather than the thriller plot. Poelvoorde in particular is excellent, doing a Robin Williams to shake off his comic persona to reveal something more damaged underneath (although he had ventured into serial killer territory long before Williams with Man Bites Dog). There is one genuinely suspenseful sequence prior to the film's murder scene as well as a neat bit of business with a bloodstained cat, but once you make the Chabrol connection you know exactly where this is headed. Unfortunately in the intervening 25 years that particular road has become very well travelled and Fontaine and her co-writer Julien Boivent certainly haven't made any improvements. Including a scene where Poelvoorde invites Carré to watch him operate on a sleeping lion only makes you realise that they really liked Manhunter as well… It's not terrible by any means, just terribly familiar.