Eden Log (2007)

Director:

Franck Vestiel

Writers:

Franck Vestiel (screenplay)
Pierre Bordage (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 December 2007 (France)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Escape from Darkness

Plot:

A man wakes up deep inside a cave. Suffering amnesia, he has no recollection of how he came to be here...

Plot Keywords:

Roots | Amnesia | Plant | Cave | Microchip

Cast

Clovis Cornillac	...	Tolbiac
Vimala Pons	...	Last botanist
Zohar Wexler	...	Technician
Sifan Shao	...	Technician
Arben Bajraktaraj	...	Technician
Abdel Kader Dahou	...	Guard (as Abdelkader Dahou)
Tony Amoni	...	Guard
Antonin Bastian	...	Guard
Joachim Staaf	...	Guard
Benjamin Baroche	...	Guard
Zakariya Gouram	...	Guard
Gabriella Wright
Asha Sumputh
Nadia-Layla Bettache
Lavinia Birladeanu
Mariella Tiemann
Nadia Fina
Alexandra Ansidei
Liou Chou
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Olivier Dupuy

Directed by
Franck Vestiel

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Pierre Bordage		screenplay
Franck Vestiel		screenplay

Produced by
Cédric Jimenez	....	producer: Imperia Films

Original Music by
Alex Cortés
Willie Cortés

Cinematography by
Thierry Pouget

Film Editing by
Nicolas Sarkissian

Casting by
Laurence Gormezano

Production Design by
Jean-Philippe Moreaux

Costume Design by
Rachel Quarmby

Makeup Department
Mabi Anzalone	....	key makeup artist
Christophe Chabenet	....	special makeup effects artist
Bernard Floch	....	makeup consultant
Jean-Christophe Spadaccini	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Martin Guena	....	assistant unit manager
Mathilde Kraemer	....	assistant unit manager
Alain Monne	....	production manager
Jean-Philippe Moreteau	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Justine Cohendet	....	second assistant director (reshoots)
Julie Grumbach	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jeanne dit Fouque Damien	....	graphic design
Samirha Salmi	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Emilie Boueil	....	assistant sound editor
Eric Cervera	....	sound
Gael Nicolas	....	additional sound designer
Vincent Vatoux	....	sound
Jérôme Wiciak	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jérôme Wiciak	....	supervising sound editor

Visual Effects by
Luc Augereau	....	visual effects producer
Charles Chorein	....	visual effects artist
Antoine Douadi	....	flame artist
Elodie Glain	....	visual effects coordinator
Stéphane Keller	....	matte paintings
Anita Lech	....	digital artist (as Anita Lech Bedez)
Carine Poussou	....	visual effects coordinator
David Rousseau	....	digital effects artist
Fred Roz	....	titles
Bruno Sommier	....	visual effects supervisor
Lee F. Sullivan	....	sequence supervisor: Eclair numérique
Jeremy Thomas	....	digital artist
Joan Panis	....	research and development (uncredited)

Stunts
Alexandre Cauderlier	....	stunt double
Alexandre Cauderlier	....	stunts wire effects
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunt coordinator
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunts wire effects
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunts
David Genty	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Grégory Bar	....	electrician
Reynald Capurro	....	first assistant camera
François Comparot	....	key grip
Pierre-Loup Corvez	....	grip
Pierre Emily	....	grip
David-Alexandre Gassin	....	video assistant
Pauline Teran	....	second assistant camera
Stéphane Zajac	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera

Editorial Department
Romeo Julien	....	digital conformation
Frederic Jupin	....	digital conformation
Marjolaine Mispelaere	....	colorist
Marina Pajuelo	....	assistant editor
Richard Riffaud	....	additional editor

Other crew
Nathalie Iund	....	press attache
Mylène Mostini	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Imperia Films
• Bac Films
• Trois Huit, Les
• Canal+ (with the participation of)
• CinéCinéma (with the participation of)

Distributors

• Bac Films (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Magnet Releasing (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Magnet Releasing (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Tiberius Film (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (2008) (France) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Magnet Releasing (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Magnolia Pictures
• Melimedias (2007) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Melimedias (2007) (Belgium) (DVD) (Benelux)
• Melimedias (2007) (Belgium) (video)
• Melimedias (2007) (Belgium) (video) (Benelux)
• Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Mongrel Media (2009) (Canada) (DVD)
• Reel DVD (2011) (Australia) (DVD)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent and sexual content

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

France:-12 | USA:R | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Australia:MA (2011) | Canada:13+ (Québec)

Company:

Imperia Films

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: (at around 30 mins) As Tolbiac is walking through the corridor, the hand of a following crew member can be clearly seen in the lower right corner of the shot.

Quotes:

Man on wall:I don't know how you survived 'til now but please: get away!

Archetypal Art sci-fi

I am glad to read the positive comments about this film, but also I can understand those who found this film slow and were not able to enjoy it. I think film is dedicated to a narrow audience: One must be moved by archetypal imagery alone (I mean the lack of gripping plot here) and enjoying just the atmosphere; without motion, without anything for the conscious mind.

At the beginning I was at once gripped by the atmosphere. Scenery, camera motion is the best part of the film. (If you don't watch this film in the cinema, complete darkness is advised.) The nearly-monochrome images, the play with light and darkness is used artistically and originally to keep us perplexed and uncertain; to show us the struggle for consciousness of man.

The viewer is so to say forced to identify with the protagonist. Here the camera viewpoint is very important and very well done. The camera shows the scene always from the protagonist's viewpoint or he himself.

While watching the viewer (or at least I) constantly tries to grab a wider view of the actual place, but he can not do that; his view is narrow as is the protagonist's. Thus the viewer is able to empathize with struggle of the protagonist, feel hes fear, anger, struggle, anxiety. This is combined with the lack of information and understanding about what is going on so again we feel uncertain and perplexed.

I love archetypal imagery and I am satisfied by them alone. Thats why I didn't feel the movie lacks the plot. But I cant deny it lacks. I actually love the uncertainty it has. I must admit, that I don't understand everything, and that is maybe not the end I would write to it. But thats it. I still love it this way.

And just because I read in an other comment... The rape-lovemaking scene is just perfect. It is so natural. And again I like the play, the uncertainty.... is it rape? is it love by first sight? is it a natural ground-and-earth way that ADAM and EVE meet? who knows....

So... thank you for this film!