Sombre (1998)

A sexually frustrated serial killer takes a liking to a woman he comes across.

Director:

Philippe Grandrieux

Writers:

Sophie Fillières, Philippe Grandrieux

Stars:

Marc Barbé, Elina Löwensohn, Géraldine Voillat

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marc Barbé	...	Jean
Elina Löwensohn	...	Claire
Géraldine Voillat	...	Christine
Coralie	...	La première femme
Maxime Mazzolini	...	L'enfant aux yeux bandés
Alexandra Noël	...	La seconde femme
Annick Lemonnier	...	La troisième femme
Sadija Sada Sarcevic	...	La mère de Claire
Lea Civello	...	Fille de la boîte de nuit 1
Astrid Combes	...	Fille de la boîte de nuit 2
Sylvie Granato	...	La quatrième femme
Tony Baillargeat	...	Homme du bal 2
Marc Berman	...	Homme du bal 1
Martine Vandeville	...	La femme du HLM
Antoine Debilly	...	L'enfant du HLM

Storyline

A car, following the Tour de France. Children screaming in front of the puppet show. Women, often prostitutes, trying to scream as they are being strangled. Then he will meet Claire, the virgin who will give herself to him, and perhaps deliver him from his malediction.

---

Plot Keywords:

slasher | children | puppet show | tour de france | virgin | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

---

Soundtracks

Bela Lugosi's Dead
Written by Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins (as Kevin Dompe), Peter Murphy and David J (as David J. Haskins)
Performed by Bauhaus
Courtesy of Bauhaus Music

User Reviews

The peaceful French countryside from the perspective of a serial killer

I saw this film at the Rotterdam Film Festival. The response to this film was divided. Some people applauded, others left the theater before the movie ended. It definitely was a film that hit me. The roughness of the cuts, sounds and lighting, in combination with very few dialogues and conversations, brings about an eerie atmosphere. This is not exactly the peaceful and jolly French countryside as shown in the average travel magazine one would take a glance at! Grandieux makes it look like a hideous, dark place, which (to my mind) suggest the acts of the main character are in some way influenced by that atmosphere. The strongest point of this movie, is the absence of any moral content. ´Why´ is not a question that Grandieux has tried to bring across to the viewers. It is precisely this lack of moral content that frightens some spectators. I can imagine that. However, they cannot deny that it is a very original film. In spite of the fact that the ´serial murderer theme´ can be found in many movies, the approach to this theme is completely different in this film. This is definitely a film which I will remember! I think people will either love it or hate it -I suppose the majority of people will be ´haters´-, actually I am surprised it made some Dutch cinemas. I recommend this film to anyone who likes original, non conventional movies. Give it a try. If you hate it: a VCR has an eject button.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

27 January 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Dunkle Triebe

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARTE, Canal+, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color