In His Hands (2005)

In Lille, Claire Gauthier is an ordinary married woman with a young daughter that works in an insurance company analyzing losses of insured properties. When the single veterinary Laurent ... See full summary »

Director:

Anne Fontaine

Writers:

Dominique Barbéris (novel), Julien Boivent

Stars:

Benoît Poelvoorde, Isabelle Carré, Jonathan Zaccaï

8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Benoît Poelvoorde	...	Laurent Kessler
Isabelle Carré	...	Claire Gauthier
Jonathan Zaccaï	...	Fabrice Gauthier
Valérie Donzelli	...	Valérie
Bernard Bloch	...	Le directeur de la compagnie d'assurances
Véronique Nordey	...	Mme Kessler, la mère de Laurent
Michel Dubois	...	Père Claire
Martine Chevallier	...	Mère Claire
Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc	...	Le collègue de bureau
Dominique Dubois	...	Mme Gauthier la mère de Fabrice
Patrick Brasseur	...	M. Gauthier, le père de Fabrice
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pierre Diot
Sonia Hell
Agathe Louvieaux

Storyline

In Lille, Claire Gauthier is an ordinary married woman with a young daughter that works in an insurance company analyzing losses of insured properties. When the single veterinary Laurent Kessler claims damage in his basement caused by a flooding due to water leakage, Claire resolves the situation favorably for him. The weird Laurent visits Claire in her office successively, inviting her for drinks and lunch, and they get close to each other. Meanwhile, a serial killer is terrorizing Lille, killing women with a scalpel. Claire feels a great attraction for Laurent, who has an unusual behavior in her apartment. When Claire sees a scalpel in the pocket of Laurent's jacket, she fears him, but still loves him.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | topless female nudity | murder | barefoot woman | scalpel | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Visa d'exploitation en France #111393

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Goofs

In the last confrontation between Claire and Laurent, his right hand grips Claire's throat when seen from his POV, but when the shot is from behind Claire, his right hand is free.

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Quotes

Valérie: Gee, at times I feel like I'm in a cult!

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Connections

References Ghislain Lambert's Bicycle (2001)

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Soundtracks

J'Aime les Filles
Music by Jacques Dutronc
Lyrics by Jacques Lanzmann
Performed by Isabelle Carré

User Reviews

For "butcher" read "vet"

As one of my missions is to impart enthusiasms I very rarely write about a bad film or one I don't like. Just occasionally however I will take a scalpel (the weapon used in "In His Hands") to demolish one that has made me really angry. Generally I avoid remakes like the plague particularly if the originals are wonderful. Curiosity once got the better of me and I sampled the more recent version of "Cry the Beloved Country" originally so sensitively and beautifully directed by Zoltan Korda in the late 'forties. What a disaster! Never again! After that you can keep your second time round "Brief Encounters", "Psychos" and "Manchurian Candidates". My anger at "In His Hands" is that it does not acknowledge it is a remake so that I was trapped halfway through with the realisation that I had been conned into watching a regurgitated version of Chabrol's masterly "Le Boucher" which, as a psychological thriller, in my opinion, eclipsed everything Hitchcock ever made. For "Tremolat" read "Lille", for "schoolmistress" read "insurance agent", for "butcher" read "vet" and there you have it, the same type of serial killings gradually creeping from the background to the foreground of the plot, the same motivation, the same relationship between the two central characters, the same ending. Whatever possessed the creators of this film to disguise this plagiarised abortion of a masterpiece and pass it off as something new beggars belief. I suppose that, in itself and were it not for the original, "In His Hands" is a passable thriller. However for those of us who adore "Le Boucher" this health warning is essential.

Details

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 September 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

In His Hands

Filming Locations:

Lille, Nord, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,905,302

Company Credits

Production Co:

Soudaine Compagnie, Ciné B, K-Star

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color