French movie-making at its worst. The movie draws an obvious parallel between the 1961 Algerian protests in Paris and an incident that affected the entire life of a man. The incident is portrayed as a bad memory that the culprit, then a six-year old child, has mostly forgotten until he starts receiving creepy drawings and videotapes of himself and his family, as if under surveillance.
From there, it goes nowhere. Characters start acting in startling and illogical ways, emphasizing a typical trait of French movie-makers who ignore the motivations of their own characters in order to make their point.
And the point is lost. The main plot is left unresolved. The viewers are probably asked to see another less than subtle parallel with the unresolved case of 1961. The end of the movie is especially uninspired and typical of directors who cannot "wrap it up" and finish elegantly.
As a political statement, it fails to carry its message across. As a study of character, it fails as it cannot explain or hint at explanations for the main characters' actions. As a genre movie, it spectacularly falls short of common standards.
The director might do well to remember that, when he is making a movie, he should ask himself with every frame why viewers might still want to watch. In our case, my wife wanted to watch a French movie because she is learning the language. In that respect, speaking in French, the movie was successful.
From there, it goes nowhere. Characters start acting in startling and illogical ways, emphasizing a typical trait of French movie-makers who ignore the motivations of their own characters in order to make their point.
And the point is lost. The main plot is left unresolved. The viewers are probably asked to see another less than subtle parallel with the unresolved case of 1961. The end of the movie is especially uninspired and typical of directors who cannot "wrap it up" and finish elegantly.
As a political statement, it fails to carry its message across. As a study of character, it fails as it cannot explain or hint at explanations for the main characters' actions. As a genre movie, it spectacularly falls short of common standards.
The director might do well to remember that, when he is making a movie, he should ask himself with every frame why viewers might still want to watch. In our case, my wife wanted to watch a French movie because she is learning the language. In that respect, speaking in French, the movie was successful.