A Private Affair (2002)

It's been six months since Rachel Siprien disappeared. At the request of Rachel's mother, private detective François takes over the investigation. The young woman, with a complex and ... See full summary »

Director:

Guillaume Nicloux

Writer:

Guillaume Nicloux

Stars:

Thierry Lhermitte, Marion Cotillard, Samuel Le Bihan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Thierry Lhermitte	...	François Manéri
Marion Cotillard	...	Clarisse Entoven
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Vincent Walt
Aurore Clément	...	Madame Siprien
Frédéric Diefenthal	...	Femme bar de nuit
Jeanne Balibar	...	Sylvie, l'ex de Manéri
Robert Hirsch	...	Vieil homme
Garance Clavel	...	Sandrine Pujol
Clovis Cornillac	...	Freddy
Lydia Andrei	...	Marion
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Homme Apolus
Consuelo De Haviland	...	Claudine Després, la directrice de l'agence
Niels Arestrup	...	Le père de Rachel
Philippe Nahon	...	Mathieu
Marie-Armelle Deguy	...	Nadège, la soeur de Manéri

Storyline

It's been six months since Rachel Siprien disappeared. At the request of Rachel's mother, private detective François takes over the investigation. The young woman, with a complex and multi-faceted personality, is part of a strange network made up of her best friend, her ex-boyfriend, her stepfather and everyone who knows her well or even slightly. François begins to frequent these various friends and acquaintances, and penetrates Rachel's daytime and nocturnal habitat. He spies, asks disturbing questions, and intentionally fills in the blanks left by those he questions.

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Plot Keywords:

pubic hair | male pubic hair | male frontal nudity | male objectification | investigation | 

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Taglines:

In France, every 10 minutes a person disappears

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Connections

Features Army of Shadows (1969)

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Soundtracks

Effraction D'Apres Le Beau Danube Bleu De Johan Strauss
Performed by Éric Demarsan and Johann Strauss

User Reviews

Great sense of place - not as grim as it would like to be

This is a good Paris film which successfully inserts the viewer into the life of a ageing Parisian lothario and private dick, because let's face it, we've all known one.

Thierry Lhermitte, more a bland celebrity than an actor, although the French would consider him a comedian, despite evidence to the contrary in, say, Le Placard, is captivating as the detective.

The plot is pretty complicated, especially if you are following it in French without subtitles, and serves exclusively to move Lhermitte around and give us a glimpse of his creased, aloof character in a variety of locations including local colour (Paris buses on the outskirts of the city, a suburban street) and exotica (a swingers club, prompting a great gag).

What is pleasing about the film is it is utterly unafraid to trot through the entire canon of private eye cliches without flinching and without becoming laughable. Lhermitte is divorced, lives in a crummy, poorly-lit flat and lives on canned food, principally beer, but remains thin. His wife is remarried, to a balding ex-friend who is good at sex. He is attractive to much younger women, naturally, and has a strong but uneven moral stance regarding others. He has clearly seen Chinatown so manages to acquire injuries requiring unsightly bandages early on. He has an unquestionably loyal older sidekick with an irritating dog! His car is rubbish! Nobody in the film opens their curtains at home or puts on moer than one 20w lamp, despite risking injury from collision with the heavy bits of furniture the French like so much.

Lhermitte, and everyone in the film chainsmokes, save the dog, probably because it is illegal to make dogs smoke. Every his apartment appears there are more and more cartons of cigarettes on every surface, even in the fridge.

This is a very enjoyable shaggy dog story, which like all s.d.s. is heavy on atmosphere and light on delivery.

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] (French)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

30 April 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

A Private Affair

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,216,230

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bac Films, Canal+, Cofimages 12

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1