Rating: 4/5
After a car wreck kills Sarah, a pregnant woman’s — Alysson Paradis — husband, she begins to question whether she can be a mother. More specifically, whether she could love her baby
Sarah’s mother — Nathalie Roussel — tries to help her daughter move forward, perhaps too early in the grieving process, and so only pushes Sarah further away into solitude
A stranger in need — Béatrice Dalle — appears, who Sarah is unwilling to help, but who knows more about Sarah than she lets on, and who is more than willing to take the baby, whether Sarah wants that or not
After seeing Béatrice Dalle in Trouble Every Day, I knew she was up for some real gross shit, so I girded my loins for this. That was a good call
In the background of the story, the French are protesting in the streets, destroying property. The news accuses immigrants of causing the riots, but we know that it was more about police harassment and police brutality
In the foreground, there’s penetrative violence — scissors, chopsticks, shards of glass — lots of destroying doors and walls, tearing into them. The police are the ones who get the most violent deaths
If I were to venture a guess — and I’m totally talking out of my ass here — the filmmakers want to convey the fear of the youth trying to take their baby, their country? Or, the only way to take back the country that was stolen from you is by violence? I welcome other interpretations
The soundtrack is brutal noise or low pulses, keeping you on edge the entire time
This movie is fucking intense and well-made, and I think I’d only ever watch it again in a group setting so we can all collectively say “yuck!”
Stray Thoughts
- CGI baby, what is this, Blonde?
- 00’s color grading is so over-the-top, this movie is BLUE and then it is YELLOW and then it is WHITE
- Why do people in movies collapse into their own vomit? You can roll over a few inches, yeah?
- Cat murder :( pretty nasty one at that
- 72 minutes is exactly how long this needed to be