Je n'ai rien oublié (2010)

Conrad Lang, a handyman in a rich family - he has been raised like a brother with Thomas, who has the same age -, accidentally puts fire to the big holiday house he keeps. He returns to the... See full synopsis »

Director:

Bruno Chiche

Writers:

Bruno Chiche (adaptation), Martin Suter (novel)

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Alexandra Maria Lara, Françoise Fabian

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Depardieu	...	Konrad Lang
Alexandra Maria Lara	...	Simone Senn
Françoise Fabian	...	Elvira Senn
Niels Arestrup	...	Thomas Senn
Nathalie Baye	...	Elisabeth Senn
Yannick Renier	...	Philippe Senn
Féodor Atkine	...	Scholler
Olivier Claverie	...	Dr. Cohen
Pascale Arbillot	...	Dr. Wirth
Anne Benoît	...	Nadia
Hélène Hardouin	...	Consuela
Arthur Lebas	...	Koni enfant
Néo Rouleau	...	Tomi enfant
Sarah Stern	...	Maman Anna
Rachel Eberhart	...	La maman Elvira

Storyline

Conrad Lang, a handyman in a rich family - he has been raised like a brother with Thomas, who has the same age -, accidentally puts fire to the big holiday house he keeps. He returns to the town he grew up in, to the family home, where Philippe, Thomas's son, and Simone are getting married. Conrad's frequent memory loss and behavioural problems rapidly reveal a neurological disease (Alzheimer's is suggested by doctor Cohen when he examens Elvira) which leads Elvira, Thomas's stepmother, to install Conrad in a guesthouse on the property, with the help of a nurse. When Conrad looses more and more his landmarks in present and past, memories of his youth come back to surface. They intrigue Simone, since these memories do not entirely fit together with the official family history...

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Official Sites:

Rezo Films [France]

Country:

France Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 December 2010 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Small World

Filming Locations:

Abbeville, Somme, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR6,300,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,462,563

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quad Productions, Blueprint Film, Studio 37

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Depardieu in top form

Gérard Depardieu leads a very talented cast in this film, closely based on a story titled "Small World" by Swiss author Martin Suter. Simone (played by Alexandra Maria Lara) marries into a very wealthy family. The wedding is crashed by the besotted old friend Konrad (Depardieu) of her father-in-law, Thomas (Niels Arestrup). Konrad is an acute embarrassment to the family, but instead of being thrown out of the house he is treated with surprising gentleness and deference. Konrad (Depardieu) is suffering from early stages of memory loss (possibly Alzheimer's). Rather than put him up in a clinic, Grandma (Françoise Fabian) insists that he be installed in the guest house on the family estate with round-the- clock nursing care. Simone gradually discovers that there are terrible family secrets lurking about, and Grandma and Konrad appear to be the focal point of them. The problem is: Grandma lies about the past, and nobody will believe Konrad because of his deteriorating sanity. As Simone probes more deeply, she finds herself at odds with her new husband, Grandma, and the house staff; she draws closer to Konrad and a very moving relationship develops between them, made increasingly difficult for her by Konrad's not remembering who she is from one day to the next. But his childhood memories are intact, and they keep contradicting Grandma's version of what happened. Simone's discovery of a photo album corroborates much of what Konrad has been babbling, and precipitates a family crisis.

Depardieu is simply fantastic in this role of a man with an increasingly tenuous grip on reality. His seemingly effortless performance compares to Hoffman's portrayal of the autistic man- child in "Rainman". Alexandra Lara shines as the newly-wed wife thrown into the deep end of a profoundly troubled and conspiratorial family. Françoise Fabian might remind you of Livia from "I Claudius"--a snake bit her and the snake died!

In addition to convincingly real performances, fine direction and a solid screenplay make this a very good film.