By all reason, twenty minutes is too soon to begin forming a concrete opinion of a film that's a little shy of two hours long. Even as we try to keep an open mind and wait for the picture to prove itself, however, it's hard not to make judgments rather quickly. For example, we're quite used to thrillers and genre flicks giving us a scene in early exposition that in its dialogue will hold the key to the plot to follow, or at least lay out major themes and big ideas. When that happens here, within the first few minutes, the inclusion feels rather club-footed and gawky - and more awkward still for the fact that two spoken lines will come to feel entirely too on the nose as a description of the overall quality. The fact that a second scene to follow, before thirty minutes have elapsed, echoes that tack of plainspoken, premature explanation - well, it's not encouraging. Beyond this, the writing and more so the direction feel extraordinarily, hopelessly heavy-handed, and emptily so. The odd goings-on and protagonist Jeanne's uncertain perceptions boil down to a two-person dispute of "this isn't normal" and "no, it is"; Jeanne's reactions are over the top right from the start; while we viewers are supposed to glean discrepancies between imagery in video and still photographs and the sets as they present, the inclusions are thrust in our faces and withdrawn again so quickly that we can only take at face value that "sure, okay, I guess something's amiss, okey-dokey." And in a more general sense, shots and scenes are thrown at us (by way of cinematography, pacing, editing, or again the writing or direction) with a stunning forthrightness that is intended to elicit a reaction, but instead is only flummoxing, and not in a good way.
Despite the renown and skills of Sophie Marceau, Andrea Di Stefano, Monica Bellucci, and others - and the readily apparent skills in and of themselves of those behind the scenes - it's not a good start for 'Don't look back.' From the get-go it's evident that the title is proceeding with proposed thriller vibes, but it doesn't actually seem capable of producing those feelings. I refer again to those early scenes that seems to spill all the proverbial beans before the plot has even especially gone anywhere: the movie is like a a single, wide, unmistakable black line being painted horizontally across a wall, after a short time being expanded with another such line in tandem. But even as the feature gives us these emphatic through lines so early, connective threads from these to every idea and beat to follow are flimsy if not altogether absent; instead, too much just comes off as ideas thrown at a wall. Those two early lines were very prophetic after all, in the worst of ways: "There's stuff here. But only isolated images." Marina de Van's film is filled with many, many kernels of potential, delightful possibilities, smart bits and pieces that with proper care and attentive dispensation could result in a rich, fabulously engrossing, impactful viewing experience. The myriad changes Jeanne perceives, the production design and art direction, the hair and makeup, the effects, the cinematography, the sound design and effects, the narrative itself: employed judiciously, all this could and should have been tremendous. Luc Rollinger's score is outstanding, a panoply of unnerving themes tickling our eyes to add atmosphere. I repeat that all involved give strong performances. But the execution, the ties that bind all together, are thin at best and deeply unconvincing.
With a delicate hand, more careful writing, and more mindful application of every story idea and element, this might have been the absorbing psychological drama it wants to be. As it is, this 2009 picture is instead just kind of laborious. I won't say that it's not interesting, because I recognize what it tried, and what all involved contributed to the production. I just don't think it works. By the time the third act rolls around, tying everything together, I've already checked out and am just finishing the remainder out of a sense of commitment. De Van and co-writer Jacques Akchoti penned a tale that on paper is wonderful, tragic and compelling. In execution, sadly, it flounders. I'm glad for those who get more out of this than I do, but for me the problems just stack up too high and too rapidly to earn my favor. I want to like 'Don't look back' more than I do, and I wish nothing but the best for all involved. Nonetheless, I most assuredly will not be looking back on this.
Despite the renown and skills of Sophie Marceau, Andrea Di Stefano, Monica Bellucci, and others - and the readily apparent skills in and of themselves of those behind the scenes - it's not a good start for 'Don't look back.' From the get-go it's evident that the title is proceeding with proposed thriller vibes, but it doesn't actually seem capable of producing those feelings. I refer again to those early scenes that seems to spill all the proverbial beans before the plot has even especially gone anywhere: the movie is like a a single, wide, unmistakable black line being painted horizontally across a wall, after a short time being expanded with another such line in tandem. But even as the feature gives us these emphatic through lines so early, connective threads from these to every idea and beat to follow are flimsy if not altogether absent; instead, too much just comes off as ideas thrown at a wall. Those two early lines were very prophetic after all, in the worst of ways: "There's stuff here. But only isolated images." Marina de Van's film is filled with many, many kernels of potential, delightful possibilities, smart bits and pieces that with proper care and attentive dispensation could result in a rich, fabulously engrossing, impactful viewing experience. The myriad changes Jeanne perceives, the production design and art direction, the hair and makeup, the effects, the cinematography, the sound design and effects, the narrative itself: employed judiciously, all this could and should have been tremendous. Luc Rollinger's score is outstanding, a panoply of unnerving themes tickling our eyes to add atmosphere. I repeat that all involved give strong performances. But the execution, the ties that bind all together, are thin at best and deeply unconvincing.
With a delicate hand, more careful writing, and more mindful application of every story idea and element, this might have been the absorbing psychological drama it wants to be. As it is, this 2009 picture is instead just kind of laborious. I won't say that it's not interesting, because I recognize what it tried, and what all involved contributed to the production. I just don't think it works. By the time the third act rolls around, tying everything together, I've already checked out and am just finishing the remainder out of a sense of commitment. De Van and co-writer Jacques Akchoti penned a tale that on paper is wonderful, tragic and compelling. In execution, sadly, it flounders. I'm glad for those who get more out of this than I do, but for me the problems just stack up too high and too rapidly to earn my favor. I want to like 'Don't look back' more than I do, and I wish nothing but the best for all involved. Nonetheless, I most assuredly will not be looking back on this.