Don't Look Back (2009)

A psychodrama about a photographer whose pictures tell a different story to that of her perception.

Director:

Marina de Van

Writers:

Marina de Van (based on an original idea by), Marina de Van (scenario and dialogue)

Stars:

Sophie Marceau, Monica Bellucci, Andrea Di Stefano

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sophie Marceau	...	Jeanne
Monica Bellucci	...	Jeanne
Andrea Di Stefano	...	Teo / Gianni
Thierry Neuvic	...	Teo 2
Brigitte Catillon	...	Nadia 1 / Mère italienne
Sylvie Granotier	...	Nadia 2
Augusto Zucchi	...	Fabrizio
Giovanni Franzoni	...	Enrico
Vittoria Meneganti	...	Enfant brune 11 ans
Francesca Melucci	...	Enfant blonde 9 ans
Adrien de Van	...	Le psychiatre
Serena d'Amato	...	Donatella
Myriam Muller	...	Nania 2 jeune
Thomas De Araujo	...	Jérémie 8 ans (as Thomas de Araujo)
Lucas Preux	...	Jérémie 2

Storyline

Jeanne a writer, married, with two children - starts to see unsettling changes in her home. Her body is beginning to change. No one around her seems to notice. Her family dismisses these fears as the result of the stress of having to finish her next book, but Jeanne realizes that something far deeper, far more disturbing is taking place. A photograph at her mother's house sends her in search of a woman in Italy. Here, transformed into another woman, RosaMaria, she will discover the strange secret of her true identity.

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Plot Keywords:

multiple actors for one character | voyeurism | lust | leg spreading | girl in panties | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene at the beginning of the film was shot in Luxembourg. The well-known bar called Cat Club completely burned down in 2015.

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Connections

References The Fox & the Child (2007)

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Soundtracks

Pizzicarella
Traditional

User Reviews

Initially intriguing but ultimately unfulfilling

Director Marina de Van has been quite inconsistent in both her writing and directing over the years. While flawed, I really enjoyed Dans Ma Peau (In my Skin) and my interest in her was certainly piqued. 8 femmes (8 Women) was fun despite being formulaic but the real draw was the ensemble cast of lovely and talented French women.

When I read about Ne Te Retourne Pas I was very, very excited. It sounded like a return to the darkness of Dans Ma Peau and featured two of my favorite actresses.

I've found most French efforts to emulate Hollywood to be immensely disappointing and this film is walking a fine line between something surreal/arty and something painfully derivative. The atmosphere is pretty creepy, the visual effects/makeup are used in a very interesting fashion and the performances from Marceau and Bellucci are good but this film doesn't really follow through with the promises it makes in the first 20 minutes.

A mediocre film overall and it's really sad to see talent like Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci go to waste.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France Italy Luxembourg Belgium

Language:

French Italian

Release Date:

3 June 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

Don't Look Back

Filming Locations:

Lecce, Apulia, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

EUR13,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,651,917

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ex Nihilo, Wild Bunch, Samsa Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1