L'enfer (2005)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Danis Tanovic

Writers:

Krzysztof Kieslowski (scenario)
Krzysztof Piesiewicz (writer)

Release Date:

23 September 2005 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

An intense and riveting drama about three sisters who share a connection to a violent childhood incident, who reunite to come to terms with their past.

Plot:

Three sisters share a connection to a violent incident from their childhood reunite to for the chance to come to terms with their past.

Plot Keywords:

Gay Love | Wrongful Conviction | Childhood Trauma | Male Female Relationship | Gay

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Emmanuelle Béart	...	Sophie
Karin Viard	...	Céline
Marie Gillain	...	Anne
Guillaume Canet	...	Sébastien
Jacques Gamblin	...	Pierre
Jacques Perrin	...	Frédéric
Carole Bouquet	...	Marie, la mère
Miki Manojlovic	...	Antoin, le père
Jean Rochefort	...	Louis
Maryam d'Abo	...	Julie
Gaëlle Bona	...	Joséphine
Georges Siatidis	...	Le contrôleur du train
Serge-Henri Valcke	...	Le libraire
Tiffany Tougard	...	Céline enfant
Marie Loboda	...	Sophie enfant

Also Known As:

Hell (International: English title)

Runtime:

Japan:102 min | Canada:98 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

France | Italy | Belgium | Japan

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Hungary:14 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Asap Films

Trivia:

Because of Bosnian director Danis Tanovic's Cannes awards background, the film is targeted to have its premiere at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, possibly in-competition.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Les réflexions de l'enfer (2006) (V)

Wrenching and effective despite some film-making miscues.

I caught it at the IFC theater in the spring. I liked it a lot and of the problems I had with it, they were minor stylistic choices mostly to do with the music (I thought it intruded on a few of the scenes). As with all Kieslowski scripts, L'ENFER is very smart and uncompromising yet not sterile; in fact, it is a very humanist work.

It never hurts to have beautiful French women in beautiful Paris, either. Emmanuelle Beart is one of those typical fantasy French sexpots all men drool over but with plenty of acting chops to go along with her stunning good looks. However, I don't really like Nathalie Baye and she had the toughest dialogue to sell, so the fact that I wasn't completely out of the picture at that point must mean she deserves some credit.

Tanovic is a little too showy a director sometimes but he captures a lot of the details very well: the husband lowering Beart to the floor, Beart hitting her head on the dresser, the mother's handwriting & bitter eyes, etc.

Glad they kept this trilogy alive. I hope we get too see "Purgatory".