Bertrand Tavernier is a great but underrated master of French cinema. Most of his films are in the vein of family drama in which he has expressed his not so soft views about French society.He has adapted some successful books for cinema too.As far as L'Appat(The Bait) is concerned,it is based on some of his interactions with the French youth who expressed their views.According to them they would like to be rich as quick as possible just like in America.This is exactly what is shown in his film.However in L'Appat the magic of social realism fails to work at all.The acting is dull and the story is weak.All the actors have given very lackluster performances. Everything looks staged whether it is the senseless violence or dramatic sequences. Watching this film I always wonder what went wrong and I am yet to arrive at a satisfactory answer.It is a curious thing that this poor film won the Golden bear award at Berlin Film Festival.
Review of The Bait
