Entre Ses Mains

I really enjoyed this one.

Suitably described in the program guide as a thriller in the tradition of Hitchcock or Chabrol, this is one of those films that relies more on the subtle but progressive revelation of the character's emotions through dialogue and facial expression to add suspense than it does on a complex narrative structure or sudden plot twists.

The story is about a young married woman who may or may not be making friends with the city’s notorious serial killer. Through her encounters with a charming client who flatters her with his quirky, off-beat compliments, we discover that she’s a little bored with her safe if happy home life, and may want to live a little more dangerously…but how much more dangerously? (cheesy italics mine).

I’d seen Anne Fontaine’s previous film “Nathalie” a few years back at the festival and found it a little too low key; here though, the simple, somewhat minimalist way in which the characters are able to slowly reveal a little more about themselves builds to conclusion that is ultimately satisfying.

Sarah doesn’t agree with me completely on this. She liked it but found parts of it unbelievable. I’ll agree that it's a film where the characters often don't make the same choices the audience would make and I’m gonna guess that this will be a sticking point for some. Your ultimate ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ will depend on whether or not you ‘buy’ some of these choices. I was ‘sold’ because I thought that there was never any inconsistency in the way the characters behaved from scene to scene and I continually found it intriguing. Recommend.

Back to Cache--realize I did not comment at all on the political subtext which you’ll probably read about in other reviews or descriptions and I think is very much worth commenting on. More than simply adding an historical reference to the treatment of Algerians by the French in the 1960s or making a statement about the way that many visible minorities are viewed with suspicion or outright hostility in western societies today, Haneke is able to powerfully drive those points home by creating a heartrending portrait of a father and son who continue to be mistreated by people like Daniel Auteuil’s character. The more I think about this film the more I like it. Of course, the more I build it up, the greater than chance of you not liking it or thinking that I've overhyped it so I'll stop here.