Keep It Quiet (1999)

In this low key satirical farce, a CEO is released from prison and rejoins his family, who have a difficult time with his complete change in character, moving from a captain of industry to an eccentric innocent.

Director:

Benoît Jacquot

Writers:

Jérôme Beaujour, Benoît Jacquot

Stars:

Fabrice Luchini, Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Lindon

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fabrice Luchini	...	Grégoire Jeancourt
Isabelle Huppert	...	Agnès Jeancourt
Vincent Lindon	...	Louis Jeancourt
Vahina Giocante	...	Stéphanie
Sophie Aubry	...	Véronique
Thérèse Liotard	...	Mme Guérin
Andréa Parisy	...	Mme. Jeancourt
Ludovic Bergery	...	William
Mélanie Leray
Anne Fontaine	...	Nathalie
Jean Davy	...	Edmond
Astrid Bas	...	Cécile, la soeur
Jacqueline Jehanneuf	...	Alice
Véronique Volta
Olivia Wong

Storyline

In this low key satirical farce, a CEO is released from prison and rejoins his family, who have a difficult time with his complete change in character, moving from a captain of industry to an eccentric innocent.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

User Reviews

Fabrice Luchini is wonderful

Benoit Jacquot's work hasn't been seen much in North America. His work doesn't have the slam-bang vulgarity of Patrice Chereau (Reine Margot) or the easy commercial charm of Patrice Leconte (Les Bronzes, M. Hire) to name two contemporaries. I liked Le septieme ciel and L'ecole de la chair very much--Jacquot has a real touch with actors, and he managed to coax some expression out of Isabelle Huppert in the latter film.

This one is like a French version of the Magnificent Ambersons; you have the same sense of a family crumbling through generational conflict. Jacquot isn't Welles, however, and there are stretches of dullness (those cafe scenes). The story couldn't be more timely: a CEO has just been released from prison after doing time for some dubious transactions. He's depressed, guilty at how his family have suffered, perplexed at the mixed signals his wife is sending. Luchini and Huppert are excellent at these short scenes of bitterness and frustration at home. Gregoire is a blend of criminal and Prince Mishkin, Luchini looks like Alec Guinness and plays wonderfully. Agnes is a tightly coiled woman who never breaks down; we wait for the explosion that never comes.

Stephanie the hairdresser is meant to represent the natural instincts that the Jeancourt family have tried to repress for so long. The scene between her and Agnes over the forgotten scarf is wonderfully uncomfortable (see it). Louis finally manages to blurt out, at the family dinner, that he has a daughter, born out of wedlock, whom he has never told his family about. The others don't hesitate for a second: congratulations are in order, emotional pain is chased away.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

20 October 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Keep It Quiet

Filming Locations:

Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ciné B, France 3 Cinéma, IMA Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1