The Black Box (2005)

Images flash through Arthur's brain, voices buzz in his mind, uttering disjointed words and sentences. Arthur Seligman seems to have had an accident but did he run over a little boy or not?... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Berry

Writers:

Eric Assous, Tonino Benacquista (short story)

Stars:

José Garcia, Marion Cotillard, Michel Duchaussoy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José Garcia	...	Arthur Seligman
Marion Cotillard	...	Isabelle Kruger / Alice
Michel Duchaussoy	...	M. Seligman, le père d'Arthur
Bernard Le Coq	...	Walcott / le docteur Granger
Héléna Noguerra	...	Soraya
Gérald Laroche	...	Le commissaire Koskas / Marc Koskas
Marisa Borini	...	Mme Seligman, la mère d'Arthur (as Marysa Borini)
Nathalie Nell	...	Dr. Brenner
Lise Lamétrie	...	La gardienne
Pascal Bongard	...	Clovis
Steve Campos	...	Arthur Seligman (6 ans)
Hugo Brunswick	...	Yvan Seligman (ado)
Dominique Bettenfeld	...	Policier 1
Alexandre Donders	...	Le patron du café
Arnaud Maillard	...	Le petit ami de Koskas

Storyline

Images flash through Arthur's brain, voices buzz in his mind, uttering disjointed words and sentences. Arthur Seligman seems to have had an accident but did he run over a little boy or not? And what was he doing near Cherbourg while he lives in Paris? When he regains consciousness (but does he really?) Isabelle Kruger, a nurse, tells him that he had lapsed into a coma after his accident and that she wrote down all of what he said while he was delirious. She gives him the notebook and Arthur starts investigating...HIMSELF!

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Plot Keywords:

coming out of a coma | murder of a nude woman | murder | nudity | bare breasts | 

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the story takes place in Cherbourg, Manche, France, the outdoor hospital scenes were filmed in location in Granville, Manche, France, a hundred kilometers from Cherbourg.

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Soundtracks

Fried Hockey Boogie
Written by Larry Taylor (as Samuel Taylor)
Performed by Canned Heat

User Reviews

Superficial psycho thriller

Good beginning: a car that drives too fast along a narrow winding coastal road. The viewer expects an accident, and after a while, it happens. The driver (we still do not know who that is) couldn't escape his fate.

Next, the viewer (who once again is put in the hero's place) finds himself lying helplessly in a hospital bed, in a state of mental confusion, assailed by blurry visions ans disjointed sounds.

Unfortunately the rest of the film, although reasonably intriguing throughout, is a disappointment. Not that it is not well made. On the contrary, Richard Berry works hard at creating an unsettling atmosphere, resorting to nearly all the visual and sound effects existing. The real trouble is his naive approach to psychoanalysis. Just like in those old-fashioned Hollywood psycho thrillers of the 1940's and 50's, he tries to explain everything. In the course of his investigation Arthur manages to figure out ALL THE CODED MESSAGES his brain has been sending him during his coma. He identifies the source of his trauma and now he can live happily ever after! Oh, I wish reality was like in those pictures. You feel bad mentally, so just consult a shrink and sooner or later you will be cured. But I do not think the things of the brain are so square, so well-organized, so mechanical. To make matters worse the final explanation is outright ridiculous. While the credits roll, disappointment sets in.

Luckily you are not aware of all this while you are watching the movie due to the careful direction of Berry, the intense performance of José Garcia and wonderful character actors by the name of Michel Duchaussoy (as the elderly ailing father) and in dual roles the excellent Gérald Laroche and Bernard Le Coq.

Good time guaranteed before you realize how shallow all this is.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

2 November 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

The Black Box

Filming Locations:

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR8,400,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,116,667

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, Canal+

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1